Saudi Arabia: Dr. Youssef ben Abdullah Al Ahmad arrested

The Saudi Arabian security services arrested Dr. Youssef Ben Abdullah Al Ahmad at his father's house in Dammam on Friday 8 July 2011 without presenting a warrant or any reasons for his arrest. They seized his mobile phone, his computer and his car. This illegal search took place without permission and outside the time authorized for this type of action. The security services then transferred Dr Al Ahmad from Dammam to Riyadh in a special plane.

Dr. Youssef Ben Abdullah Al Ahmad is 43 years old. He has a PhD in Islamic law from the Faculty of Law at the University of Imam Mohamed Ben Massoud in Riyadh. Dr Al Ahmad is also the President of the Islamic Law Editing Team for the Ministry of Education and had participated in the preparation of 28 publications. He is also a member of the Educational Commission of the Faculty of Law at the University of Imam.

Dr Al Ahmad told his father on Saturday 9 July 2011 by phone that the security services questioned him about the accusation of 'diverging from the authority of the King' and 'turning public opinion against the authorities'.

In fact, the Saudi authorities accused him for his legal activities, particularly for acting on behalf of people detained arbitrarily. He has on many occasions demanded they be released or undergo a fair trial rather than to keep them in prison illegally.

Dr Al Ahmad had in fact sent a letter to the Saudi Arabian King regarding this issue. In addition, he recently posted a video on the internet in which he criticizes the arrest of women who demanded their husbands and their relatives be released during a strike they organized it in front of the Ministry of Interior headquarters in Riyadh at the end of July 2011. He confirmed the legitimacy of their demands and considered their arrest as a dangerous phenomenon. He appealed to the Saudi king to release them immediately and to protect them as it is required in law, religion and local norms.

Alkarama demands that the Saudi authorities release immediately Dr Youssef Ben Abdullah Al Ahmed and all the others arbitrary detained, and will raise his case urgently with the United Nations Special Procedures.