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.

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 Rapporteur on Torture, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers. The urgent appeal urged them to take the necessary actions with the Saudi authorities to ensure Mr El-Sayed would not be tortured while detained as countless Egyptians nationals before him have been.

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. His arrest on 8 July 2011 had come after he had publicly criticised the Saudi government, regarding the widespread use of arbitrary detention in particular.