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[Music]

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I

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welcome to Sputnik orbiting the world

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with me George Galloway and me gatri the

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world has rightly recoiled in horror at

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the extreme pornography of violence in

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Iraq the videoed beheadings of now two

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American journalists by the

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self-appointed caliphate of Isis has

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attracted World attention to their

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savagery in a way which the mutilation

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and Massacre by them of thousands of of

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others in Syria and Iraq has not

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meanwhile the font of fanatic extremism

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in Saudi Arabia Remains the West best

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friend and lucrative customer the

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prevailing ideology of Saudi Arabia

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shares points of contact with that of

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the neighboring caliphate and one of

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those is the public televised severing

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of people's heads the Saudi dictatorship

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has recently embarked on a frenetic

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spree of public beheadings dozens of

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them in just the last few months Amnesty

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International has been working hard to

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attract media and public attention to

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these beheadings with so far limited

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results that's why we're delighted to

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welcome on board the Sputnik CAG ketan

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and I'm glad that you're here to explain

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what I had no knowledge of at all this

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huge increase in the number of

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beheadings give us the skill of this

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first please seac thank you for having

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me George basically we've noticed we've

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seen that in the last month alone

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between two September two two August and

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two September there's been more than 30

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executions almost all of them public

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beheadings so that's almost daily daily

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at least one a day and the vast although

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the vast majority of these have been on

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murder charges these death sentences but

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many of them are drug smuggling and one

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of them is actually for sorcery or

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witchcraft which is not even a crime in

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international

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law so this is extremely alarming and it

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points or it raises a number of

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questions for us for one thing it

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clearly states that Saudi authorities do

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not have do not have regard to human

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life many of these cases that we have

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been able to document it's clear that

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death sentences were handed down after

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unfair trials and that is not acceptable

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in some cases the only evidence seems

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seem to be coming from confessions which

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were extracted under torture and

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deception is the regime vulnerable at

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the moment I mean what what would

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explain uh what had been a fairly

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routine pattern of beheadings and this

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spree that I describe I think that's

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basically the question that is being

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raised now what explains the sech in

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executions and I think it's given that

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this is Saudi Arabia we're talking about

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it's impossible to tell the decision

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making behind these closed doors what I

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imagine is happening or what I think

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explains the surge the increase in the

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numbers is a number of factors one is

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that if you look at 2000 the annual rate

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of execution in Saudi Arabia in 2013 and

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2012 they're almost identical around 79

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people were executed in 2013 and 2012

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each year now if you look at last year

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2013 in the first half of the year the

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numbers were extremely high so it was

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not going to to stay below 100 and then

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the last 6 months of the year the

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numbers sharply dropped there were one

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or two executions in the second half of

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the Year very few this year it's the

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opposite it started very low and then

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Ramadan came and during Ramadan there

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are no executions do not take place and

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then so we had 17 by July of this year

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so 2014 from January to July 17

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executions I think the authorities at

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one of the explanations is that the

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authorities have a certain amount of

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people and statistics they want to keep

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and they want to keep that at the

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national level so in other words there

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is that let's say cut off point so very

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low at the beginning of this year we can

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increase the execution rate to reach

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that number 80 let's say now other

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reason I think there is a political

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Dimension to this as well I think the

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authorities are concerned of what's

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happening in the surrounding areas in

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the region in general especially in the

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after at of 2011 and I think they want

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to send a strong message to everyone

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saying that we're still in charge we're

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still strong and we will punish any

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transgression I'm a politician I'm

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across the news all the time I

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specialize in the Middle East and I knew

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none of this until I read your Amnesty

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International report that means this

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hasn't impacted in the international

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mass media at all or even the niche

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media that I read how do you account for

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that I think that has been a long

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struggle for us

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basically there are some news coming out

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of Saudi Arabia that is covered and the

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most that is covered believe it or not

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the the news that gets best coverage is

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beheadings so this is actually the

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maximum media coverage that you would

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get so there's a lot of things that are

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happening in the country that are

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there's no news whatsoever on so I think

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the this is common and it's been

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happening for years if not decades now

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that given the the situation of Saudi

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Arabia it's International status both as

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a regional Ally and as an economic power

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so the geostrategic and the economic

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relations between the Western countries

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and Saudi Arabia there's less and less

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interest in basically commentary from

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the authorities of Western governments

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and therefore not much encouragement

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when these things come out in media to

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make a noise out of or to discuss

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publicly what we hear from these

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authorities is that they're raising

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these issues privately with the soes so

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they call them to discuss to raise

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concerns over the phone now the issue

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with that is that we don't know if that

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really happens or not and there are no

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there's no change coming out of out of

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those discussions apparently so we been

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encouraging them to raise concerns

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publicly that's the way that you can

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influence the so authorities to respond

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to this International outcry so while I

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cannot explain why the media in this

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case have not covered let's say as uh as

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wide as the coverage has been on Isis

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and other executions I cannot explain

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why not on Saudi Arabia as much on the

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Saudi beheadings but I think the general

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explanation the the historic situation

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is behind this the terms of the alliance

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the causes and also the idea that

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eventually in Saudi Arabia there is

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supposed to be a court a trial of some

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sort uh leading to the to the execution

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regardless if whether or not we found we

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find that grotesque beheadings public

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executions that there is a process

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behind it of trial of conviction Etc

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which is not actually

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true tell us tell us about those um that

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get executed are these Saudis or are

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they mostly

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migrants so that's another interesting

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Factor actually that the more than 50%

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more than half of those executed

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annually are foreigners are foreign

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migrants and typically migrant workers

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and there are multiple reasons I think

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for that one of which is that they are

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not very well informed of Sai laws which

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aren't most of most of which aren't

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codified so you don't know what the law

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is second because they they do not have

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access to translation facilities or to

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lawyers so they might be framed in a in

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a crime let's say in a domestic crime of

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some sort end up in jail be sentenced to

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death without knowing what's going on

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and then executed so which is extremely

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concerning and most of these um

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including um last year in 2013 there was

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a a um a foreign domestic worker

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17-year-old girl who was executed a girl

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17 1-year-old girl named risana nafik

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who um a Sri Lankan girl and it was

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clear that she was 17 all the

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authorities claimed that in her passport

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it said it she was 18 now the

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authorities later the S Lankan

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authorities clarified it saying that her

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passport was forged so that she can get

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a job to say 18 but that they

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ascertained they said we confirmed that

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she's not that didn't matter matter

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matter all so they violate the UN

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Convention of the rights of the child

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child absolutely

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yes I'm I'm stunned by that uh I'm

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momentarily speechless they severed the

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head of a 17-year-old girl

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yes the uh Saudis as you and us both

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know uh are big customers of ours

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they're big geostrategic allies even

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though as gatri said they are the font

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of this extremism not necessarily the

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government but uh all of these extremist

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groups draw great financial and other

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support from inside uh Saudi Arabia the

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world is

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transfixed at the moment uh with these

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hidious grotesque executions of Western

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journalists which make Front Page News

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top of the news everywhere in the world

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so it's like there's a tariff Isis can

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execute syrians and Iraqis in their

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hundreds maybe thousands nobody cares uh

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Saudi Arabia can behead dozens One A Day

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nobody much cares this must be painful

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for you Amnesty International struggling

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to highlight all of these crimes all of

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them are crimes and you're struggling to

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highlight them all absolutely and to

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keep basically the attention on what we

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think is really important here which is

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that we believe as Amnesty International

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that all executions or all death

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sentences are clear violation to the

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right of Life they are dor the

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cruestv regardless of how they're done

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is it beheading or chemicals or shooting

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whatever it is and the human life is

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human life basically we are against all

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forms of executions now what's been

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happening in the region with the Isis

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and not even last year before Isis

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gained the current prominence is that

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the Middle East is the was the area

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where we see we saw the surge in

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executions the executions continued more

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or less the way it has been last years

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whereas the rest of the world we so a

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decrease now the the point here is that

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the these these regimes that have been

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carrying out the execution in the Middle

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East and have increased have not

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received any criticism while all the

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attention has gone to these armed groups

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like Isis so whereas Isis and others all

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humans have obligations in international

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humanitarian law Saudi Arabia as a state

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as an international recognized state for

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example has further obligations because

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it's member it's part of number of of

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treaties that it has signed including

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conventional rights of the child so they

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have the demand on them should be far

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higher because of these um or the

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expectations should be far higher

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because of these International treaties

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that they voluntarily signed I actually

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I'm very curious about amnesty's work

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but also the support that you get

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locally do you get any support locally

276
00:12:21,199 --> 00:12:25,360
from the people cuz it's funny when you

277
00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:27,360
speak about public beheadings I always

278
00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:30,480
wonder who this public are are the

279
00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:32,839
public still enjoying it and

280
00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:36,480
that's a really difficult uh question to

281
00:12:32,839 --> 00:12:38,920
answer I think in a sense um we have to

282
00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:40,600
admit that in number of countries in the

283
00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:44,880
world especially including places like

284
00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:47,720
Saudi Arabia um it's been part of the a

285
00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:49,760
very long history um the executions

286
00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:53,000
including the public

287
00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:55,160
beheadings so there is and generally

288
00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:58,880
speaking it's accepted that the death

289
00:12:55,160 --> 00:13:01,600
penalty is um a legitimate punishment

290
00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:04,320
for some crimes I mean it is supposed to

291
00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:06,920
be a spectacle it is supposed to work as

292
00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:08,800
a deterrent supposedly for others

293
00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:11,959
although there's no absolutely no

294
00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:15,040
evidence whatsoever on your fig on your

295
00:13:11,959 --> 00:13:16,399
figures it's uh vating exactly seac

296
00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:18,399
we've got to leave it there thanks very

297
00:13:16,399 --> 00:13:20,360
much for joining us we'll we'll we'd

298
00:13:18,399 --> 00:13:22,399
like to talk to you again about it

299
00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:24,519
coming up after the break a bright young

300
00:13:22,399 --> 00:13:26,760
man with a great future ahead of him on

301
00:13:24,519 --> 00:13:31,160
a grand old man with a great past behind

302
00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:31,160
him not me Bob Dylan don't miss

303
00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:38,519
it welcome back to Sputnik I consider

304
00:13:36,839 --> 00:13:40,720
Bob Dylan to be the greatest writer

305
00:13:38,519 --> 00:13:43,000
since William Shakespeare he writed a

306
00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:45,680
few wrongs he wrote some of the best

307
00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:48,000
songs and I even like his voice or

308
00:13:45,680 --> 00:13:50,320
should I say voices for he has had

309
00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:53,320
several I've paid a fortune to go and

310
00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:55,639
see Bob Dylan over decades Our Guest

311
00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:58,199
today has seen him more often than I and

312
00:13:55,639 --> 00:14:00,800
he's only 21 years old he's here to

313
00:13:58,199 --> 00:14:03,040
discuss the the original Vagabond and

314
00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:07,240
Ian Bell's biography of the star which

315
00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:07,240
has just been released in paperback he's

316
00:14:09,639 --> 00:14:16,040
dylanologists uh work time out of mind

317
00:14:13,079 --> 00:14:19,720
the lives of Bob Dylan voices of Bob

318
00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:23,519
Dylan lives of Bob Dylan what did you as

319
00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:26,040
an expert uh in the field make of this

320
00:14:23,519 --> 00:14:28,079
one well I think instantaneously as

321
00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:30,680
you've noted when you read that title

322
00:14:28,079 --> 00:14:32,360
the lives of Bob Dylan it goes to the

323
00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:35,120
heart of the fact that there really is

324
00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:37,800
no continuity that can be pointed to in

325
00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:39,839
in the life of Bob Dylan from just

326
00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:41,800
opening the book you see a quote by

327
00:14:39,839 --> 00:14:44,480
Ginsburg he says I don't think Bob Dylan

328
00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:46,440
has a self and that really strikes at

329
00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:50,279
the heart of what Bob Dylan is about

330
00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:53,920
over a career of 50 plus years he's

331
00:14:50,279 --> 00:14:56,160
reinvented himself so many times that

332
00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:59,560
there's no longer the Bob Dylan of the

333
00:14:56,160 --> 00:15:01,800
1960s he doesn't exist anymore Dylan

334
00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:04,040
himself has said that in interviews he

335
00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:07,720
said I don't know that person anymore

336
00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:09,440
he's not he's not me so Dylan doesn't

337
00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:11,920
recognize himself and I think

338
00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:14,160
immediately Ian Bell has caught on to

339
00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:17,079
that with with this book what's

340
00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:19,680
especially nice about Ian Bell's book is

341
00:15:17,079 --> 00:15:23,560
that as a political journalist of course

342
00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:25,600
he won the allwell prize he imp Parts

343
00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:27,639
knowledge of the political scene the

344
00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:30,920
political context in which Dylan

345
00:15:27,639 --> 00:15:33,399
operated in and continues to operate in

346
00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:36,199
this is a person who's been massively

347
00:15:33,399 --> 00:15:38,600
influential in popular culture and

348
00:15:36,199 --> 00:15:41,040
American history world history and you

349
00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:43,800
have his story in in Belle's book uh

350
00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:47,040
encapsulated I think better than uh any

351
00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:50,120
other that I've read now let's talk

352
00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:52,920
about some of the lives uh Dylan burst

353
00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:55,800
on the scene the New York uh Cafe scene

354
00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:59,720
Greenwich Village in the coldest winter

355
00:15:55,800 --> 00:16:02,680
for uh many years uh he played in these

356
00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:07,319
coffee shops just to get out of the cold

357
00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:11,399
wind uh and the Zeitgeist just a year or

358
00:16:07,319 --> 00:16:13,480
so later uh reached its Crescendo the

359
00:16:11,399 --> 00:16:18,120
Civil Rights Movement Martin Luther

360
00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:22,720
King's arrest uh the murder uh of uh

361
00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:25,839
Medgar Evans and so on uh then the

362
00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:31,079
Vietnam War begins and he becomes in a

363
00:16:25,839 --> 00:16:33,680
way a spokesman for uh the opposition to

364
00:16:31,079 --> 00:16:35,839
nuclear weapons the Cold War the Vietnam

365
00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:41,079
War racism in

366
00:16:35,839 --> 00:16:44,000
America and then politically speaking he

367
00:16:41,079 --> 00:16:46,120
Fades artistically he flourishes but

368
00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:50,120
politically speaking he FES how does Ian

369
00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:53,040
Bell explain that well with Bob Dylan's

370
00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:55,360
polit uh politics and political messages

371
00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:58,079
it's sometimes difficult to know just

372
00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:59,600
exactly what Dylan thinks and I think

373
00:16:58,079 --> 00:17:01,920
it's perhaps a mistake to say that he

374
00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:04,000
ceased to become uh political ceased to

375
00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:06,120
be political perhaps he ceased to be

376
00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:08,520
overtly political I might put it that

377
00:17:06,120 --> 00:17:11,079
way but starting at the beginning like

378
00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:13,400
you mentioned with the the 1960s Civil

379
00:17:11,079 --> 00:17:17,079
Rights Movement not a lot of people know

380
00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:20,919
but when uh Luther King made his I Have

381
00:17:17,079 --> 00:17:22,919
a Dream speech U 51 years ago Dylan was

382
00:17:20,919 --> 00:17:26,000
there and he sung at the March on

383
00:17:22,919 --> 00:17:28,079
Washington oh did he so he was he was

384
00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:31,039
there at that time sort of through his

385
00:17:28,079 --> 00:17:34,960
music galvanizing public opinion he

386
00:17:31,039 --> 00:17:38,000
never wrote a song specifically about uh

387
00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:41,000
civil rights but the emotions and the

388
00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:42,559
senses of justice that were in his words

389
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:45,919
which had never been seen really in rock

390
00:17:42,559 --> 00:17:48,480
songs before with that marriage of folk

391
00:17:45,919 --> 00:17:51,200
Blues Country and and rock which Bob

392
00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:54,120
Dylan introduced you started to find

393
00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:56,600
that and so whilst in the 60s you have

394
00:17:54,120 --> 00:18:00,840
overtly political

395
00:17:56,600 --> 00:18:03,799
actions later on that that does cease

396
00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:05,880
overtly political actions but the music

397
00:18:03,799 --> 00:18:09,600
doesn't really change I would say the

398
00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:13,520
same sense of right and wrong of uh

399
00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:15,480
Freedom Liberty remains in his music and

400
00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:17,640
so if you're looking for lyrics that you

401
00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:19,520
can say immediately this is about this

402
00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:21,760
particular political subject you can't

403
00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:25,280
find that but even to this day you can

404
00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:28,400
still find that that sense um that

405
00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:30,559
political message um not to put too far

406
00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:32,400
find a point on on message because

407
00:18:30,559 --> 00:18:34,760
Dylan's songs aren't really uh

408
00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:36,640
teleological in that sense he doesn't

409
00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:39,080
have an end in mind he doesn't want to

410
00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:42,559
change a particular thing through one

411
00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:47,880
song but through the songs things do

412
00:18:42,559 --> 00:18:50,120
change um just one in fact uh hurricane

413
00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:53,039
which is one of his very best songs was

414
00:18:50,120 --> 00:18:55,640
a song about Ruben Carter who could have

415
00:18:53,039 --> 00:18:58,880
been the champion of the world but ended

416
00:18:55,640 --> 00:19:02,480
up like Buddha in a 10-ft cell

417
00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:05,480
uh Dylan helped spring him from prison

418
00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:09,400
didn't he well that's that's right and

419
00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:13,039
this is uh from a 1976 album called

420
00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:14,679
desire and Dylan met Carter and

421
00:19:13,039 --> 00:19:16,919
immediately concluded that he wasn't

422
00:19:14,679 --> 00:19:21,039
guilty of this crime he spoke to him for

423
00:19:16,919 --> 00:19:23,039
hours in prison and wrote this uh song

424
00:19:21,039 --> 00:19:25,159
More overtly than any other song he's

425
00:19:23,039 --> 00:19:27,240
written this is the song which he wanted

426
00:19:25,159 --> 00:19:29,880
to achieve something he would say in his

427
00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:33,480
concerts we need to free this innocent

428
00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:35,840
man and so it was that with the song

429
00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:39,360
people began to know about what wouldn't

430
00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:42,960
have been such a big story uh it had a

431
00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:47,159
mass uh public appeal people began to

432
00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:49,880
understand who Ruben Carter was and

433
00:19:47,159 --> 00:19:52,080
so I think the important part about

434
00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:54,720
hurricane is the involvement with the

435
00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:57,240
public Consciousness Ian Bell is very

436
00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:59,000
realistic in the way he describes this

437
00:19:57,240 --> 00:20:01,240
he doesn't want to say that Bob Dylan

438
00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:03,320
freed Ruben Carter I don't think that's

439
00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:06,039
the the case at all as it happens the

440
00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:08,280
reason why he uh was no longer in prison

441
00:20:06,039 --> 00:20:10,799
was because the prosecutors decided not

442
00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:13,600
to have a third trial his innocence or

443
00:20:10,799 --> 00:20:15,679
guilt was never finally concluded

444
00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:18,120
however I think B makes a very good

445
00:20:15,679 --> 00:20:20,120
point when he says that Dylan recognized

446
00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:22,240
that even though Carter might not have

447
00:20:20,120 --> 00:20:24,679
been the best of black men doesn't make

448
00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:26,240
him a guilty black man and I think Dylan

449
00:20:24,679 --> 00:20:29,480
recognized that and it's a theme that

450
00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:33,400
runs uh through the songs that he's done

451
00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:35,880
s many people argue that the songs he's

452
00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:38,400
written should have been sung by others

453
00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:40,480
including myself I wouldn't say I am

454
00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:43,880
forced to listen to Bob D during our

455
00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:46,520
long road trips but you

456
00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:48,640
are how uh how would you how would you

457
00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:51,520
say that so you what you're saying is

458
00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:53,320
great songs not a great voice well I

459
00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:55,000
mean I'm bound to disagree with you but

460
00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:57,000
I can understand where you're coming

461
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,320
from with that there's something

462
00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:00,159
immediately that people find find

463
00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:03,320
unpalatable about the voice whether it's

464
00:21:00,159 --> 00:21:06,559
the 1960s sort of high pitched uh

465
00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:09,480
whining that you might describe it as

466
00:21:06,559 --> 00:21:12,760
yes describe it and then later growling

467
00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:15,600
the later growling the grably the grably

468
00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:18,640
voice so if you want something with uh

469
00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:21,279
more public appeal then Adele's cover of

470
00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:23,400
Make You Feel My Love is an excellent

471
00:21:21,279 --> 00:21:25,559
example and that's the biggest selling

472
00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:27,799
Bob Dylan song in in history that's

473
00:21:25,559 --> 00:21:29,400
right I would make the point that Dylan

474
00:21:27,799 --> 00:21:31,600
has never actually had a number one

475
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:33,799
single oh he's had a number of number

476
00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:36,520
one albums but never a number one single

477
00:21:33,799 --> 00:21:38,919
so popular appeal in terms of chart

478
00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:41,720
success has never been his strong point

479
00:21:38,919 --> 00:21:44,679
I think his golden age was around the

480
00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:47,279
time of the album desire and blood on

481
00:21:44,679 --> 00:21:51,520
the tracks which for me is the best

482
00:21:47,279 --> 00:21:55,080
album ever made by anybody and One Track

483
00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:59,000
in fact every track could be a movie uh

484
00:21:55,080 --> 00:22:03,120
but the uh the Tangled Up In Blue

485
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:05,559
uh is to me the most cinematic song uh

486
00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:08,000
ever recorded and I also think his voice

487
00:22:05,559 --> 00:22:10,919
was at its very best then around about

488
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:13,080
the Budokan uh Tour live at the Budokan

489
00:22:10,919 --> 00:22:14,480
in Japan what do you think of that I

490
00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:16,559
think I think that's right there are

491
00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:19,240
lots of people who think that blood on

492
00:22:16,559 --> 00:22:21,480
the tracks is Dylan's best work sort of

493
00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:23,559
the Pinnacle of his uh achievements as a

494
00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:25,840
songwriter and as a as a singer I think

495
00:22:23,559 --> 00:22:28,039
there's a lot to be said for that view

496
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:30,039
particularly Tangled Up In Blue as you

497
00:22:28,039 --> 00:22:32,400
mentioned Dylan has said himself of that

498
00:22:30,039 --> 00:22:34,760
song that it has past present and future

499
00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:36,880
all sitting in the same room together

500
00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:39,880
and in that way it certainly is

501
00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:42,159
Cinematic um it's also been described as

502
00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:44,640
the best breakup album ever written

503
00:22:42,159 --> 00:22:47,760
because around this time Bob was uh

504
00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:49,840
divorcing from from his wife so you see

505
00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:52,880
a different side of Bob doing there more

506
00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:55,159
uh personal side than you will have uh I

507
00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:58,760
always uh saw myself as the Jack of

508
00:22:55,159 --> 00:23:02,679
Hearts in that uh album uh although I

509
00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:05,480
must tell you this the best Dylan song

510
00:23:02,679 --> 00:23:09,000
I've ever heard him perform he didn't

511
00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:11,279
write from uh from uh Natural Born

512
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:14,400
Killers from the soundtrack of Natural

513
00:23:11,279 --> 00:23:17,880
Born Killers he sings a 1950 song what's

514
00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:20,159
it called again you belong to me mhm

515
00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:22,799
it's only 2 and a half minutes long it's

516
00:23:20,159 --> 00:23:25,000
absolutely magic yes I think uh there's

517
00:23:22,799 --> 00:23:27,440
something uh interesting about Bob

518
00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:29,760
Dylan's association with uh film

519
00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:31,919
sometimes you have uh very good work

520
00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:34,720
that he's done specifically for films

521
00:23:31,919 --> 00:23:36,360
what comes to mind is uh the 2001 film

522
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:38,360
Wonder Boys in which he wrote the song

523
00:23:36,360 --> 00:23:40,279
things have changed which in fact won

524
00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:43,440
him an Academy Award which he proudly

525
00:23:40,279 --> 00:23:46,159
has on his piano uh in the concerts he

526
00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:48,799
he does now and so there is something

527
00:23:46,159 --> 00:23:51,760
cinematic about his songs you can't put

528
00:23:48,799 --> 00:23:54,000
a lot of songs in uh films and expect

529
00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:56,960
them to tell a story but that's exactly

530
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:59,080
what Bob Dylan's songs do they they tell

531
00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:01,880
a story and they speak to

532
00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:04,159
people I would say on an elevated level

533
00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:06,279
than than other music well as uh as Bob

534
00:24:04,159 --> 00:24:08,310
D put it thank

535
00:24:06,279 --> 00:24:10,679
you thank

536
00:24:08,310 --> 00:24:13,120
[Music]

537
00:24:10,679 --> 00:24:14,960
you and now it's your turn to tell us

538
00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:17,120
what you think through the portals of

539
00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,799
social media what's rattling gri so

540
00:24:17,120 --> 00:24:20,640
there's been a sech of beheadings in

541
00:24:18,799 --> 00:24:24,559
Saudi Arabia but an absence of

542
00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:27,080
condemnation from the West why n akar

543
00:24:24,559 --> 00:24:28,880
answers because if Saudi Arabia was an

544
00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:30,880
exporter of bananas it would be

545
00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:33,919
condemned but because it keeps Joe on

546
00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:36,600
the road it's not mind you though Jack

547
00:24:33,919 --> 00:24:39,320
Tipple reminds us that UK is no stranger

548
00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:42,200
to beheadings as Malaysian insurgents

549
00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:46,399
discovered yeah in the 1950s the British

550
00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:49,880
army was paying 25 Shillings ahead yep

551
00:24:46,399 --> 00:24:53,679
literally ahead to uh the heads of

552
00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:55,760
Communists were worth 25 Shillings each

553
00:24:53,679 --> 00:24:58,559
it brings the question though whether

554
00:24:55,760 --> 00:25:01,600
UK's ties with Saudi Arabia makes the UK

555
00:24:58,559 --> 00:25:03,919
complicit to crimes to humanity Imran

556
00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:06,799
raut answers that I think it could even

557
00:25:03,919 --> 00:25:08,559
be do Saudi close ties with the UK make

558
00:25:06,799 --> 00:25:11,559
them complicit in crimes against

559
00:25:08,559 --> 00:25:15,279
humanity very good very good point and

560
00:25:11,559 --> 00:25:17,640
finally on Bob Dylan Luke answers voice

561
00:25:15,279 --> 00:25:20,720
voice I love all Bob Dylan's different

562
00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:23,240
voices well me too the lives of Bob

563
00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:25,360
Dylan the voices of Bob Dylan all of

564
00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:27,000
them are truly great to me well that's

565
00:25:25,360 --> 00:25:29,279
all that we've got for this week which

566
00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:31,080
alas means it's the end of the show do

567
00:25:29,279 --> 00:25:33,919
please keep in touch with us on Twitter

568
00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:36,880
at rtor Sputnik and on Facebook you can

569
00:25:33,919 --> 00:25:39,000
like us on Sputnik on Russia today it's

570
00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:42,039
goodbye from me gatri and from me George

571
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:42,039
Galloway it's been

572
00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:49,489
[Music]

573
00:25:52,900 --> 00:25:55,949
[Music]

574
00:25:56,679 --> 00:25:59,679
marvelous

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00:25:59,750 --> 00:26:03,220
[Music]