Saudi Dissident Taken off U.N. Sanctions List

A U.N. sanctions committee on Monday removed a leading London-based Saudi reform activist from its al-Qaida blacklist in the face of opposition from the Saudi government.

Saad al-Faqih and his Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia were both removed from the U.N.'s al-Qaida sanctions list following a recommendation from an ombudsman.

"After thorough consideration by the committee, the entries in the al-Qaida sanctions list related to Mr Saad Rashed Mohammed Al-Faqih and Movement for Reform in Arabia were removed from the al-Qaida sanctions list today," said Peter Wittig, chairman of the Security Council's al-Qaida sanctions committee.

Faqih, a former professor of medicine in Saudi Arabia, had been one of 252 individuals and 69 entities and groups left on the U.N. list who is subject to an asset freeze and international travel ban.

U.N. diplomats said that Saudi Arabia had strongly opposed taking Faqih off the list. The Saudi activist has been on a US treasury blacklist since 2004.