Alkarama for Human Rights sought an intervention by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. It twice sent communications to the Saudi authorities. On 25 February 2009, Alkarama contacted the Working Group again to remind it of this arbitrary detention that has lasted over five years.

Suleyman b. Nasser b. Abdullah Al Alouane was arrested on 28 April 2004 on the premises of his work by agents of the General Intelligence Directorate without a  judicial warrant being presented and with no reason being given to justify the arrest. His home was searched without a judicial warrant on the same day.

Taken to the premises of the Services of the Ministry of the Interior, he was tortured and criticized for making public comments critical of the policy of the United States in the Arab world and in particular for having denounced the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

He was then transferred to El Hayr prison, south of Riyadh where he has been, thus far, detained  in complete isolation and totally cut off from the outside world for over a year. He continues to suffer ill-treatment in prison.

Unlike most inmates in Al Hayr prison, including prisoners of conscience, he is not allowed family visits or to communicate by phone with relatives.

To date, he has not yet been brought before a magistrate to be formally charged, nor has he received notice of any proceedings against him, nor had access to counsel or judicial process to challenge the legality of his detention.

In a first response to the Working Group, the Government merely advanced the pretext of "terrorism" to justify Mr Al Alouane's deprivation of liberty, without specifying the "acts of terrorism" with which he is charged. Furthermore, the Government does not specify the exact criminal charges against Mr Al Alouane.

In its second response to the Working Group, the Government refers to "transfers of funds outside the Kingdom" to justify his deprivation of liberty. It also explicitly recognizes that Mr Al Alouane was arrested for exercising his freedom of expression by saying that he had made " inflamed  sermons and lectures."

It is true that Mr Al Alouane had publicly criticized the military occupation of Iraq by the United States of America. However, this view is largely shared in the world by many people of all nationalities and all political tendencies. But this view is considered "terrorist" in some countries in the region.

In 2007, Mr Al Alouane was asked by the authorities to make a filmed public statement in order to repudiate his previous positions on this issue and he refused, which explains why the authorities aggravated his conditions of detention although he was already being detained in complete isolation.

In 2006, Alkarama had already submitted a communication on this case to the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the Special Rapporteur on Torture.