The Redhunter

From The Guardian:

If Downing Street bows to today's reported Saudi demands for concessions in the hope of a Eurofighter sale worth up to £40bn, it will face dissent from the Foreign Office, the Serious Fraud Office, and British Airways. There will also be anger from such expatriate victims of Saudi behaviour as Ron Jones, who is trying to sue the regime for falsely imprisoning and torturing him.

Whitehall sources point to the two Powell brothers, who they claim are enthusiasts for the deal. Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair's chief of staff, is said to be pro-Saudi. His brother Charles, now Lord Powell, also has access to Downing Street. He was Margaret Thatcher's foreign affairs adviser, and is now on BAE's payroll as a consultant, according to the current register of Lords' interests. BAE stands to make massive sums from a deal to sell the Eurofighter Typhoon to Riyadh.

I've written about Ron Jones before. He was among several Britons and others imprisoned by the Saudis in 2001 for allegedly planting bombs in their country. He and the others were working there as many westerners were when they were suddenly arrested and held incommunicado for several months. They were brutally tortured and forced to make false confessions on Saudi TV.

Unfortunately, they did not receive much if any help from their governments, who seemed more interested in maintaining good relationships with the KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) than the welfare of their own citizens.

More on "our good friends" in the KSA, this time from the BBC (story again courtesy of my friend in the UK):

The Saudi Arabian authorities are refusing to reveal what action was taken against a diplomat suspected of sexually assaulting a child in London.

The man was arrested at the end of July last year but was released after claiming diplomatic immunity.

The Saudis say he will not be able to return to the UK, but have offered no information as to his fate.

The Foreign Office has refused to hand over papers on the case, despite a BBC freedom of information request.
...
The alleged assault against the 11-year-old girl generated anger in the newspapers when the Saudis refused a request by the British to waive the man's diplomatic immunity.

This left police unable to even question the man about the allegations.
...
The Saudis have steadfastly refused to comment on the case.

It was understood that the man would be dealt with by the Saudi justice system on his return. But the outcome of the Saudis' investigations remains unknown.

Still want more? Think that the Saudis are fighing against terrorism? If so, they're being mightly selective about it. Check out this latest from MEMRI:

Saudi Government Official on Iqra TV: All Muslims Must Support Jihad – Send Money to the Saudi Committee for Support of the Al-Quds Intifada, Account No. 98

An August 29, 2005 program on Saudi Iqra TV was devoted to supporting Jihad in Palestine. The program host began by telling all Saudis that they must donate and explained how to do so.

A caption then appeared on the screen: "Saudi Committee for Support of the Al-Quds Intifada, Account No. 98, a joint account at all Saudi banks." A moderator stated that "Jihad is the pinnacle of Islam" and explained that the funds would go directly to those waging Jihad, where it would "help them carry out this mission."

The program included the secretary-general of the Saudi government's Muslim World League Koran Memorization Commission, Sheikh Abdallah Basfar, who explained why it was an "obligation" for all Muslims to support Jihad. He also promised that "all of the funds sent via the known charities and organizations" would reach "your Muslim brothers." TO VIEW THIS CLIP VISIT: http://memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=843.

All all these are stories that have appeared in the press just recently. I didn't have to do any digging.

There are no "misperceptions", folks. We understand perfectly well what the government of the KSA represents.