Dr. Al-Basher, professor at the University of Riyadh, where he resides, has been detained incommunicado since 15 March 2007. For two years, other than a single visit, his family knows nothing of his future. Al-Karama sent on 14 April 2009 an urgent appeal to the Rapporteur on torture and requested the Working Group on arbitrary detention, asking them to intervene with Saudi authorities.
Al-Karama has been informed that when Khaled Al-Rashed, a member of the so-called "reformers", appealed his prison sentence, it was immediately tripled. He was arrested in 2006 and sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment in a trial held behind closed doors.
He appealed this decision at the Hay'at Al-Tamyz court, which was acting as a court of appeal in this case.
Al-Karama recently received the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's opinion 37/2008 dated 21 November 2008 regarding the arrest and detention of Dr.
The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has informed Al-Karama of opinion 36/2008, of 21 November 2008, in which it finds serious violations of the rights of Dr. Said bin Mubarak bin Zair, secretly detained since his arrest on June 6 2007 by the intelligence services.
On 2 November 2008, Thamer Al-Matiri, a Kuwaiti citizen, was arrested without a warrant by the Saudi intelligence services (Al-Mabahit Al-Aama) 2008 at Jeddah airport. Al-Karama informed the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of this on 27 March 2009, asking it to intercede with the Saudi authorities.
Thamer Rekhis Eid Al-Matiri, aged 27, is an official at the Ministry of Information in Kuwait, where he lives.
Mr Nasser Al-Hajiri, a Kuwaiti national, was arrested on 16 December 2007 and currently detained at Dammam's Intelligence Services' detention centre in Saudi Arabia without legal procedure. On 15 March 2009 he began an interminable hunger strike despite the state of his health, which has deteriorated since his arrest.
On 20 March 2009, Al-Karama sent an urgent appeal to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention asking it to intervene with the Saudi Authorities.
Ali Said Al-Qarni Khassif was arrested in Riyadh on 5 December 2007 by agents of the intelligence services (Al Mabahit Al-Aama) and, after being held incommunicado for several weeks, was transferred to Dahbane prison in Jeddah where he is still being detained without trial.
On 16 March 2009, Al-Karama asked the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Rapporteur of the Secretary-General on the situation of Human Rights Defenders to intervene with the Saudi authorities in his regard.
Mr. Mohamed Tarhuni, an Egyptian citizen has been without legal representation since his arrest in November 2006 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A complaint was made on 12 March 2009 by Al-Karama to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which seeks to intervene with the Saudi authorities in this regard.
Mr. Mohamed Razak Bin Abdel Nas Tarhuni is currently 49 years old. He was living legally in Medina under a foreign permanent residency. He holds a doctorate in religious studies and is known in the literary world.
Mr Suleyman Al Alouane, aged 40, author of around twenty books of reference on Islamic Sciences, was arrested in April 2004 by agents of the General Intelligence Directorate without a judicial warrant. Since then, he has still not been presented before a magistrate.
Alkarama for Human Rights sought an intervention by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. It twice sent communications to the Saudi authorities.
Mr Saad Abu Nayan was arrested in 2004 at Mina near Mecca during the pilgrimage, without a warrant. He was a victim of ill-treatment. Since then, he is being detained without trial and without knowing the reasons for his imprisonment.
On February 23, Alkarama sent a communication to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, asking it to intervene in the case of Saad b. Ali b. Saad Abu Nayan, aged 29, a law student and resident of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
