Saudi Arabia: Saudi student held for seven years without trial

Mr Ali Abdulrahmane Al-Faqasi, a Saudi university student, has been detained without any trial or charge for over 7 and a half years. He gave himself up to the Saudi authorities on 26 June 2003, hoping to secure the release of 9 members of his family, including his wife, who had been arrested by the Saudi authorities to put pressure on Mr Al-Faqasi. He has been held since, in very difficult conditions in Al-Hayr prison, in Riyadh and with limited access to the outside world.

Alkarama has been closely following the case of Mr Al-Faqasi and on 23 December 2010 called on the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary detention to remind Saudi Arabia that his continued arbitrary detention constitutes a serious violation of Saudi Arabia's obligations under national as well as international law.

Background Information

In early 2003, following accusations by the Saudi and US governments that he was involved with terrorist groups, Mr Al Faqasi publicly stated his innocence. In reaction to this, the Saudi Ministry of Interior proceeded to arrest Mr Al-Faqasi's wife and 8 other family members without any judicial warrant or trial. They simply informed Mr Al-Faqasi that all of his detained family members would be released if he would turn himself in.

Mr Al- Faqasi gave himself up on 26 June 2003 following guarantees from the Saudi authorities that he would be given a fair trial, that all of his family members would be released and that he would not be tortured following his arrest. Despite these guarantees, some members of Mr Al-Faqasi's family remained in detention for long periods and others have since been re-arrested. Mr Al-Faqasi himself still has not been tried and has been held in incommunicado detention for much of the past 7 and a half years.

Alkarama will continue to follow the fate of Mr Al-Faqasi and inform the United Nations human rights mechanisms of it.