From University to Prison: Two Lebanese Students Illegally Detained Since 2007

04 Nov 2011
In 2005, Youssef Shehadeh and Ibrahim Khadr, two 27 year-old Lebanese students left Lebanon for Saudi Arabia to study Islamic Law at the Islamic Medina University. They could have had their degree by now but the Saudi authorities decided otherwise. Both were arrested in June 2007 on the compound of the University by the Saudi security services (Mabahith) without being given any explanation. Since then, they are being detained in the Kingdom without any legal proceedings.

Youssef Shehadeh disappeared for one year following his arrest on the 1 June 2007. In June 2008, he was finally allowed to make a phone call to his family from the prison. Arrested twelve days after his classmate, Ibrahim disappeared for several months as well. In more than 4 years of detention, they were transfered between Medina's prison and those in the Southern Province of Asir. Currently imprisoned respectively in Abha and Riyadh prisons where they were transfered to four months ago, Youssef and Ibrahim are both suffering from health pathologies. Youssef has almost lost all vision in his left eye due to the lack of medical care. As for Ibrahim, he has difficulties speaking  following a throat surgery one year ago during which one of his vocal cords was damaged. None of them had access to adequate medical care.

The Shehadeh and Khadr families contacted the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Lebanese Embassy in Saudi Arabia to obtain more precise information on what happened to them. According to Ibrahim's family, the embassy was informed on 17 August 2009 of the situation of Mr Khadr and contacted the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The latter confirmed on 10 April 2010 that Mr Khadr had been arrested on 12 June 2007 for being in contact with an alleged terrorist group. However, the Embassy refused to provide the family with a copy of Saudi Ministry's statement. The Ministry allegedly declared that Mr Khadr's case would be treated as a priority.

To date, the Lebanese students have not appeared before a judge and are still unaware of the reasons of their detention, which undoubtedly constitutes a violation of both national and international human rights norms. Today, Alkarama submitted their cases to the Working Group of Arbitrary Detention to ask it to intervene with the Saudi authorities on behalf of Youssef and Ibrahim. We call on the latter to free Youssef and Ibrahim or to place them under the protection of the law.