On 17 March 2010, Qatari authorities have release Abdullah Al-Khowar and Salim Al-Kowari after nearly nine months arbitrary detention. According to initial information Alkarama received while the victims were still in custody: they were hung, beaten and were forced to suffer sleep deprivation for straight three days.
The two men were reportedly arrested by State Security officers on 27 June 2009. At the times of the arrests, neither one of them were presented with a warrant and were immediately taken to an unknown location. Their families had no idea as to their whereabouts for several weeks after their disappearance, until they were finally given visitation rights while in custody of the intelligence service in Doha.
Alkarama sent their cases to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 22 December 2009.
There is much speculation surrounding these two cases as the suspects were released without ever appearing before a judge or having been subject to any legal proceedings. Their detentions are categorically arbitrary, and Alkarama takes this opportunity to remind the Qatari authorities to respect the edicts of their own domestic laws as well as their international commitments to human rights law.
For more information or an interview, please contact media@alkarama.org (Dir: +41 22 734 1008).