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. They were not informed of the reasons for their arrest and were taken to an unknown destination. After being briefly interrogated on the identity and the reasons for the trip to Saudi Arabia, they were taken to Al-Hayr prison, and later transferred to Al Asir prison in Abha. After learning of the case, Alkarama informed the United Nations of their illegal situation in September 2010. In September 2011, the Working Group found the two men's detention to be arbitrary.

Mr Al Karoui was later released on 7 November 2011, and allowed to return home without any legal proceedings, a clear sign of the arbitrary nature of his detention. Mr Matri, However, remained detained despite the intervention of the UN. Since then, Mr Matri has been informed he was to be released, but had to obtain a guardian before he could be liberated. He was also asked to sign a document in Arabic, which he does not read, supposedly a recognition of his guilt and acceptance of a pardon from the King. Mr Matri has refused to sign this document, on the basis that he is not guilty. Since then, Mr Matri does not know when he is to be released or what is to happen to him, and in protest, began a hunger strike a week ago. This, combined with the loss of 30 kg previously, means that he is particularly weak, and can barely stand or walk.

Alkarama is extremely concerned about Mr Matri's health, and the serious impact this is having on Mr Matri's wife – given the toll not knowing when her husband's detention will end – and calls on the Saudi authorities to release Mr Matri immediately. As requested by the UN Working Group, Mr Matri and Mr Al Karoui should also be provided with an enforceable right to compensation. Alkarama will also inform the relevant UN human rights mechanisms of the developments in Mr Matri's situation.