Saudi Arabia: Abdullah Zuhair, arbitrarily detained, opposition suspicion

Abdullah Salem Zeid Zuhair, 45, owns a local Internet café in Jeddah. He was arrested on 20 February 2006 by agents of the intelligence services (Al-Mabahit) at his workplace. At the time of his arrest, he was not shown a warrant and was later taken to an unknown destination. His family remained without news of his whereabouts for several months.

It was only after a telephone call to his wife in the summer of 2006 that his family learned he was being held in Dahbane prison in Jeddah.

After two years of detention he was allowed to receive visits from relatives and he told them that he had been arrested on suspicion of having had contact with opposition members abroad.

Abdullah Zuhair was detained incommunicado for several months following his arrest and during that time he was never presented before a judge or a judicial authority to be formally charged.

In early 2009 a lawyer was able to make a single visit to the prison, however without being able to inform him of criminal charges against him or give him any legal assistance.

In June 2009 he was transferred to Riyadh prison, where he appeared in an office in the presence of several people including one individual who informed him that "he had been sentenced." No details were given; it was therefore unclear as to whether this was in reference to a court trial. Despite his requests, he was not given any documentation. A few days later, he was returned to Dahbane prison, where he remains unto date.

There is no doubt that he has been deprived of liberty without any legal procedure, with the sole reason given by the intelligence services during his interrogations  that he had had "contact with members of the opposition". His arrest and detention are arbitrary and contrary to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Alkarama submitted Abdullah Zuhair's case to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 1 October 2009 for it to recognize the arbitrariness of his detention, so that he be immediately released or brought before a court to be tried in public with all the guarantees associated with a fair trial.