US government report on Saudi Arabia's human rights

The US Department Of State released the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices- 2005, by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. As relating to Saudi Arabia, the report said:

Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by the Al Saud family without elected representative institutions at the national level and with a 2004 population of approximately 26.7 million of which an estimated 7 million were foreign citizens. On August 1, King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud ascended the throne upon the death of his half-brother, King Fahd bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud. As the custodian of Islam's two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, the government bases its legitimacy in governance according to its interpretation of Islamic law (Shari'a). The Basic Law sets out the system of government, rights of citizens, powers, and duties of the state, and provides that the Koran and the Traditions (Sunna) of the Prophet Muhammad serve as the country's constitution. The government generally maintained effective control over the security forces.

Human rights issues have not historically been the subject of public discourse but have become increasingly prominent during the year. The government's human rights record remained poor overall with continuing serious problems, despite some progress. The following human rights problems were reported:

no right to change the government
infliction of severe pain by judicially sanctioned corporal punishments
beatings and other abuses
arbitrary arrest
incommunicado detention
denial of fair public trials
exemption from the rule of law for some individuals and lack of judicial independence
political prisoners
infringement of privacy rights
significant restriction of civil liberties--freedoms of speech and press, assembly, association, and movement
no religious freedom
widespread perception of corruption
lack of government transparency
legal and societal discrimination against women, religious and other minorities
strict limitations on worker rights.

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/060323/2006032321.html

towards becoming more like the Bush regime

they just need to add wiretapping citizens, black-bag extraditions
and offshore gulags to keep up.

..."Well, except for my Saudi business partners."

they want to be just like them! :)
Seriously though sounds alot like the pot calling the kettle black to me...