Thamer Al-Khodr, a Saudi human rights activist was arrested on 3 March 2010, by agents from the Al-Qassim intelligence services. He is currently being held incommunicado.
On 12 March 2010, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights, requesting her intervention with the Saudi authorities.
The Saudi judicial system continues to treat migrant workers with complete disregard. The most recent victim is Mohamed Alim, a Bangladeshi national, who has now been in custody for over six years after completing his 10 month sentence.
Seven years ago, while he was working as a cleaner at the Saudi Ministry of Health, Mohamed Alim was arrested on charges of pharmaceutical drug embezzlement along with a Saudi guard.
Alkarama has just received a report from the Saudi Civil & Political Rights Association that, Thamir Bin Abd Al-Karim Al-Khodr was arrested on 3 March 2010. He is the eldest son of Dr Abd Al-Karim Bin Yusuf Al-Khodr, a teacher of comparative jurisprudence at the Faculty of Shari'a, and a member of the Saudi Civil & Political Rights Association.
Dr Saud Mukhtar Al-Hashimi and the eight other people arrested with him on 2 February 2007 by the intelligence services (Mabahit) in Jeddah were transfered yesterday to Riyad Prison. Their families received calls informing them of this transfer without any further details.
Arrested on 16 December 2007 by Saudi Intelligence service (Al-Mabahit Al-Aama) at the Al-Khafdji border crossing between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Nasser Al-Hajiri, 37, a Kuwaiti national, is currently detained at the Intelligence Services' detention center in Dammam. He suffers from health complications associated with diabetes, arterial hypertension and a serious brain tumor. Since his arrest, Mr Al-Hajiri has neither received any formal charges nor has he been presented before a judicial authority.
Alkarama has just received an update regarding Nasser Al-Hajri, who is presently detained inside Dammam's Intelligence Services detention center. Reports state that his state of health is currently deteriorating due to medical negligence and ill-treatment. He suffers from a dangerous brain tumor, which according to an medical examination five months ago, requires an urgent operation due to its gravity.
Following yesterday's publication of photographs depicting the injuries of a torture victim inside al-Hayr prison - one of the prison's detainees, Khaled Suleyman Al-Omeir, is suspected by prison authorities of having leaked the snapshots from the prison and is now being detained in solitary confinement.
Mr al-Omeir, 40, who is an active human rights defender in Saudi Arabia, w
Abdullah Majed Sayah al-Nuaimy, who was originally disappeared by Saudi authorities on 29 October 2008, has reappeared in a Saudi prison, according to sources.
The death of Salem Aboud Bahaneef on 29 September 2009 comes as another stark reminder of the inhumane conditions in Saudi prisons. Following the confirmation of his death, Alkarama has called upon the Saudi Arabian government to improve prison conditions, to ensure detainees are treated decently.
Aboud Bahaneef, 33, was serving a three year sentence when he contracted a pulmonary infection for which he received no diagnosis.
