The Foreign Service Journal, September 2014

62 SEPTEMBER 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS Trials Offer Window into Saudi Judicial System AFSA CONSTRUCT I VE D I SSENT AWARDS : THE W. AVEREL L HARR IMAN AWARD FOR AN ENTRY-LEVEL FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER As a first-tour political/ economic officer in Dhah- ran, Saudi Arabia, one of William “Ed” O’Bryan’s primary responsibilities was the human rights portfolio. Among his duties was moni- toring the protests in the minority Shia communities of the Eastern Province that led to the arrest of hundreds of demonstrators and human rights activists. O’Bryan felt it was important for the embassy to attend the protesters’ trials (something it hadn’t done in recent memory) for a num- ber of reasons. “First, there was a significant number of peaceful activists on trial in early 2013, and when the verdicts started coming in, they were shockingly harsh,” O’Bryan says. “At the same time, there were protests in very con- servative areas by women with relatives who had been imprisoned, sometimes without charges, which highlighted how galvanizing issues related to the judicial system could be,” he adds. In light of this, O’Bryan says he felt the mission needed as much insight into the judicial process as pos- sible to better understand the events in the country. O’Bryan’s initial request to attend the trials was rejected due to the long-standing belief that perceived U.S. support for activists would only make their situations worse. But he was not discouraged. “Actually, I was very encouraged, particu- larly by Consul General Joey Hood’s support,” he says. “He not only used my points in helping to advocate for attending the trials, but strongly built on them.” He found the same kind of support from the Riyadh human rights officer, Daniel Boehmer, who had done “phenomenal work in opening channels to human rights activists and in managing the bureaucratic side of attending these trials,” O’Bryan notes. After a few months of deliberation, the mission agreed and O’Bryan became the first officer to attend a human rights trial in Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Crimi- nal Court, which had been established to try terrorism suspects. “The mis- sion now has a window into the Saudi judicial system,” O’Bryan says. “Having this insight improves our understand- ing of the Saudi Arabian govern- ment and its dynamic with various groups, and thus can greatly inform our bilateral dialogue.” Observing trials has also strengthened connections to Saudi human rights activists. As O’Bryan notes, they “see the mission as taking their work more seriously and are thus more interested in work- ing with us.” “It was certainly a difficult decision for the embassy’s leadership, especially at a time of tense relations between the two countries,” O’Bryan acknowledges. “But they deserve a lot of credit for looking at all the arguments and making the tough call.” On receiving the award, he says: “I consider what I did closer to advocacy than dissent, but I am humbled by the award and I am happy to bring attention to this issue. I also hope it encourages oth- ers to speak up for what they think is right.” Prior to joining the State Department in 2011, William O’Bryan spent 12 years as part-owner of Andrews Mon- ument Works in Nebraska City, Neb. He volunteered for a year with the United Nations Global Compact project in Minsk, Belarus. He is married and has two daughters. n (Above) Ed O’Bryan attends a cultural forum in Qatif, Saudi Arabia. (Below) O’Bryan at the June 18 awards ceremony. AFSA/JOAQUINSOSA COURTESYOFEDO’BRYAN