On 2 May 2010, Qatari authorities released Nayef Al-Attiyah. He was previously arrested on 4 September 2009 in order to intimidate his cousin Fawaz Al-Attiyah, a British national, who had asked Nayef Al-Attiyah to raise his case with the Prime Minister of Qatar.
Nayef Al-Attiyah was released without ever being subject to any legal proceedings during his detention. Alkarama's sources have confirmed that the entire episode was simply an attempt to settle a personal score.
Alkarama continues to pursue Fawaz Al-Attiyah's case with great interest, and calls upon the Qatari authorities to respect their own domestic laws and its international obligations to human rights law. Alkarama has already sent Fawaz Al-Attiyah's case to the Special Rapporteur on Torture, who according to sources is currently being detained under particularly distressing conditions.
For more information or an interview, please contact media@alkarama.org (Dir: +41 22 734 1008).