Dr Sabeel Ahmed, an Indian national residing in the city of Hofuf in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia was arrested by twenty Intelligence officers dressed in civilian clothes who raided his house on 9 February 2016. They took him away without presenting a warrant or informing him of the charges held against him.
91 days after his disappearance, Dr Ahmed was able to contact his family and inform them that he was being held in Dammam prison. His family were later allowed to visit him. Dr Ahmed reported that he had been held in solitary confinement for two months and that he had been lashed and forced to stand in stress positions for prolonged periods of time.
Concerned over the fate of Dr Sabeel Ahmed, Alkarama seized the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture (SRT) requesting him to urge the Saudi authorities to guarantee Dr Sabeel Ahmed's access to an independent physician who can attest the signs of torture he was exposed to and to assure a fair trial in which any confessions made under torture are considered inadmissible in a court of law.
Alkarama further reminds Saudi Arabia of its international obligations as a state party to the Convention against Torture to adopt effective legislation that ensures that coerced confessions are invalidated by law and in practice and that perpetrators of torture are prosecuted in accordance with the gravity of their acts. These recommendations were also made to the state by the Committee against Torture in its Concluding Observations during the review of Saudi Arabia's report.
For more information or an interview, please contact the media team to media@alkarama.org (Tel: +41 22 734 1008).