Alkarama has been continuously receiving reports for more than a week regarding riots by detainees in al-Hayer prison in Riyadh against their poor prison conditions and the arbitrary nature of their detention. After news of the riot, came calls for help as the authorities cracked down on the riot and blocked all news from the families of detainees.
Hichem Matri, a 32-year old Franco-Tunisia businessman, remains detained in a Saudi prison despite the UN finding his detention arbitrary. Currently on hunger strike in protest of his mistreatment, and having already lost 30 kg, his health hangs in the balance, while his wife was hospitalized today in France due to the physical and mental exhaustion caused by her husband's absence and detention.
Mr Matri was initially arrested in May 2010, the day before he was supposed to return home to France, alongside his business partner Cherif Al Karoui.
Saudi Arabia was again the subject of an Opinion adopted by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 2 May 2012, this time regarding four individuals detained for years without any trial or legal proceedings against them. In Opinion 8/2012, the Working Group confirms that all four are detained in violation of both Saudi and international law and calls for their release.
On 18 June 2012, the Riyadh Criminal Court brought charges against prominent Human Rights Defender Dr Mohammad Fahad Al Qahtani, co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA).
The renewed crackdown against human rights defenders and peaceful political activists in Saudi Arabia entered a new round as Dr Abdellah Al Hamed, Professor of contemporary literature and co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), was formally charged on Monday, 11 June 2012.
Alkarama is pleased to learn of the release of Egyptian citizen Mr Ahmed Helal on 31 March 2012 from Alzahban prison in Saudi Arabia. However, we remain concerned that Mr Ali Abdelqader Qadoma and Mr Mohamed Said Ali, arrested alongside Mr Helal, are still arbitrarily detained in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Ahmed Helal is a 62-year old Egyptian citizen, and father of five children. He worked as an executive manager of a printing company in Saudi Arabia. His colleagues, 42-year old Mr Qadoma and Mr Ali, aged 41, are also Egyptians.
After learning that the Saudi authorities had arrested Egyptian lawyer and a human rights defender Ahmed El-Sayed, more commonly known as Mr Ahmed Mohamed Sarwat Abdel Wahab El-Sayed (أحمد محمد ثروت عبدالوهاب السيد), upon his arrival at Jeddah airport yesterday 17 April 2012, Alkarama submitted an urgent appeal to the UN Special Rapporteu
Dr Yousef Al Ahmad, Dean of the law faculty of Imam Mohamed Bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment, followed by a 5-year-long travel ban as well as a fine of 103'000 Saudi Riyal (equivalent to 27468 USD) by the Saudi Special Criminal Tribunal in Riyadh on 11 April 2012.
The Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) issued a press release stating it holds the Saudi authorities responsible for the deteriorating health of the rights activist Mr Mohammad Salih Al-Bjady who is on a hunger strike since 11 March 2012, and has refused to drink water since Saturday 7 April 2012, in protest
Update: In addition to the releases announced in our press release of last Monday, we further welcome the release of Dr Mubarak bin Zair, son of Dr Said bin Zair. He was arrested on 21 March 2011 and was arbitrarily detained until his release yesterday, 29 February 2012.
