“A rash of new laws issued in Saudi Arabia aim to blot out all political dissent — and in one case defines atheists as terrorists. The series of laws began in January of 2014. At the end of last month, Human Rights Watch issued a report explaining that “a series of related royal decrees create a legal framework that appears to criminalize virtually all dissident thought or expression as terrorism.”

According to the Times of India, some of the laws were issued to deal with the number of Saudis who traveled to Syria to partake in the civil war, and returned with new ideas of overthrowing the monarchy. In February King Abdullah issued Royal Decree 44, which criminalizes “participating in hostilities outside the kingdom.” The penalty for such activity is three to 20 years in prison.”* The Young Turks hosts Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian break it down.

*Read more here from Sarah Gray / Salon:
http://www.salon.com/2014/04/03/new_laws_in_saudi_arabia_declare_that_atheists_are_terrorists/