Alkarama is pleased to learn of the release of Egyptian citizen Mr Ahmed Helal on 31 March 2012 from Alzahban prison in Saudi Arabia. However, we remain concerned that Mr Ali Abdelqader Qadoma and Mr Mohamed Said Ali, arrested alongside Mr Helal, are still arbitrarily detained in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Ahmed Helal is a 62-year old Egyptian citizen, and father of five children. He worked as an executive manager of a printing company in Saudi Arabia. His colleagues, 42-year old Mr Qadoma and Mr Ali, aged 41, are also Egyptians.
After learning that the Saudi authorities had arrested Egyptian lawyer and a human rights defender Ahmed El-Sayed, more commonly known as Mr Ahmed Mohamed Sarwat Abdel Wahab El-Sayed (أحمد محمد ثروت عبدالوهاب السيد), upon his arrival at Jeddah airport yesterday 17 April 2012, Alkarama submitted an urgent appeal to the UN Special Rapporteu
Dr Yousef Al Ahmad, Dean of the law faculty of Imam Mohamed Bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment, followed by a 5-year-long travel ban as well as a fine of 103'000 Saudi Riyal (equivalent to 27468 USD) by the Saudi Special Criminal Tribunal in Riyadh on 11 April 2012.
The Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) issued a press release stating it holds the Saudi authorities responsible for the deteriorating health of the rights activist Mr Mohammad Salih Al-Bjady who is on a hunger strike since 11 March 2012, and has refused to drink water since Saturday 7 April 2012, in protest
Update: In addition to the releases announced in our press release of last Monday, we further welcome the release of Dr Mubarak bin Zair, son of Dr Said bin Zair. He was arrested on 21 March 2011 and was arbitrarily detained until his release yesterday, 29 February 2012.
Alkarama submitted to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention the cases of 12 Egyptian nationals unlawfully detained in Saudi Arabia today. Despite the long years passed since their arrests they have not been brought before a judge nor have been formally charged in violation of international law.
Alkarama learned that the Saudi Authorities released last week Mr Saed Saad Mohammed al-Hazimi who was arrested nine years ago without any legal proceedings.
Mr Hazimi was initially arrested in 2001 and remained in jail for 3 months. He was later arrested in 2002 where he was moved between many Saudi prisons before he ended up in the Zahban prison in Jeddah where he stayed, until he was released nine years later, without being charged and without any legal proceedings against him.
The specialised criminal court in Riyadh issued a verdict on Sunday 19 February 2012 to release the reformer and political opponent Dr Said bin Zair after a detention that lasted more than four years.
Dr Bin Zair, Laureate of the 2011 Alkarama Award and a well known persona
Mr Omar Abdelmohsen Al Qaid, a 24-year-old Saudi national, was arrested on 28 November 2010 and remains in detention since then without legal proceedings. He is therefore arbitrarily deprived of his liberty and Alkarama informed the UN Special Procedures of his case today.
