Archive for Saudi ambassador

61 Egyptians detained in Saudi prisons for months

by admin
September 6th, 2012

Sixty-one Egyptians in Saudi Arabia were held in a Jeddah prison for three months without being interrogated or referred to trial under the pretext that they violated residence laws.

The detainees included business owners, some of whom say they had residence permits.

A number of detainees told Al-Masry Al-Youm Wednesday that Saudi authorities arrested them along with other detainees and held them in prison until being deported to Egypt.

A member of the Egyptian consulate's staff in Jeddah met 12 detainees and took them out of the prison to deport them before returning them to prison 10 days later, they said.

Detainees Mahmoud Mohamed Ramadan, Nasser Abdel Fattah Youssef, Mohamed Qamhawy, Abdel Nasser Mowahed Mohamed, and Mohamed Ismail Mohamed called on the Egyptian authorities to intervene and end what they called a "tragedy."

They said they were detained in a cell that included about 700 prisoners of different nationalities, adding that they slept on the ground.

Mohamed Saad, another Egyptian who was detained, told Al-Masry Al-Youm he was a businessman in Saudi Arabia who had a residence permit.

On 17 August, Saad was arrested by the Saudi authorities before boarding the plane to spend Eid vacation in Egypt because he allegedly had not given airport authorities his fingerprints when he entered the country a few years ago.

In February, Saudi Ambassador to Cairo Ahmed al-Qattan said that there are 1,401 Egyptian prisoners in Saudi Arabia, and that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry has been briefed on them.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy visited Saudi Arabia in July and discussed the issue with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz. In August, Qattan announced that the Saudi king had pardoned and released 82 Egyptian prisoners on the occasion of Ramadan.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Dozens protest detention of Egyptian citizen in Saudi Arabia

by admin
September 1st, 2012

 

Dozens of activists and relatives of Egyptian detainees in Saudi Arabia protested Saturday outside the Saudi Embassy in Cairo to denounce the lashing of Nagla Wafa, an Egyptian citizen residing in Saudi Arabia, and to demand the dismissal of the Egyptian foreign minister and the expulsion of the Saudi Ambassador.

During the protest, called for by former MP Hamdy al-Fakharany, demonstrators chanted, "The people want to lash the ambassador, the people want to expel the ambassador," and "Oh Qattan listen to that, we will not pass this kind of farce this time."

They raised banners reading, "No to lashing Egyptians' dignity after the revolution," and "Freedom to Nagla and all Egyptian detainees."

"Continuing the series of [insults to] Egyptians in Saudi Arabia points out the unmerciful people who do not care about the dignity of the Egyptian people. If Nagla had been an American or an Iranian, they wouldn't have dared to do such an act to her," Fakharany said.

"We reject insulting the dignity of Egyptians abroad, especially in Saudi Arabia. Nagla is from a decent family in Gharbiya, and her father is a professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Tanta," he told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

Journalist Hoda Nour Zaki told Al-Masry Al-Youm, "Wasting the Egyptian people's dignity is a continuation of what was happening before the revolution." She criticized former People's Assembly speaker Saad al-Katatny and President Mohamed Morsy's visits to Saudi Arabia, saying they went to apologize although Egyptians were the ones demanding apologies.

A number of human rights organizations had demanded that Saudi Arabia release Wafa and cancel her sentence.

Wafa was sentenced to five years in prison and 500 lashes on charges of embezzling 2 million riyals from a Saudi princess. Her mother, Nashwa al-Saeedy, refused to disclose the name of the princess, but said she is a first degree relative of the king. She added the princess’s lawyer exploited his connections with the now-dissolved State Security Service.

Wafa has already spent three years in prison and received 300 lashes after being arrested in Saudi Arabia on 30 September 2009.

The family of Wafa said they were told that their daughter would be held in prison for life if they reported the matter to the media.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Ambassador: Expat community in Saudi Arabia is largest contributor to Egypt’s economy

by admin
July 28th, 2012

 

Egyptian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mahmoud Auf has said that the Egyptian community in Saudi Arabia made the largest contribution to Egypt's national economy of any expat community last year.
 
The amount of remittances from Saudi Arabia last year was about US$8 billion, accounting for 60 percent of the total remittances from Egyptians abroad, the ambassador told the Egyptian community in Riyadh on Friday.
 
He compared the number to the revenue of both the Suez Canal and the tourism sector, which he said each brings in about US$5 billion.
 
In a speech during a Ramadan celebration, which was also the farewell event for Auf as his term as ambassador is coming to an end, he said that the Egyptian community in Saudi Arabia has increased by about 150,000 since the January 25 uprising last year.
 
Egyptian-Saudi relations have been developing and becoming more established, he said, contrary to what some claim. 
 
He said that of all the countries in the world the kingdom has provided the greatest direct support for the Egyptian economy after the revolution, with about $3.75 billion.
 
The arrest of Egyptian human rights lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawy on 17 April in Jeddah on charges of drugs smuggling shook Egyptian-Saudi relations. Protests outside the Saudi diplomatic missions by Egyptians who said he was actually arrested for defending the rights of Egyptian workers led to the temporary withdrawal of the Saudi ambassador.
 
Prior to his arrest, Gizawy had filed a lawsuit against the Saudi authorities over their treatment of Egyptians in the kingdom.
 
His case was not brought up by an Egyptian delegation that traveled to the kingdom to resolve the crisis at the time, nor by President Mohamed Morsy who visited the kingdom two weeks ago. Last week Gizawy's trial was adjourned until September. Prosecutors have called for the death penalty.
 
I April the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights published a list of 35 political prisoners detained in Saudi jails without trial, among a total of 1,401 Egyptians imprisoned in the kingdom. 
 
The two counties enjoyed significant political cooperation during Hosni Mubarak's reign, as Mubarak had the same views as the Saudi regime on Iran's expanded political influence in the region. Saudi Arabia offered refuge to Mubarak after the 25 January uprising erupted last year.
 
Edited translation from MENA
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Ambassador: Expat community in Saudi Arabia is largest contributor to Egypt’s economy

by admin
July 28th, 2012

 

Egyptian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mahmoud Auf has said that the Egyptian community in Saudi Arabia made the largest contribution to Egypt's national economy of any expat community last year.
 
The amount of remittances from Saudi Arabia last year was about US$8 billion, accounting for 60 percent of the total remittances from Egyptians abroad, the ambassador told the Egyptian community in Riyadh on Friday.
 
He compared the number to the revenue of both the Suez Canal and the tourism sector, which he said each brings in about US$5 billion.
 
In a speech during a Ramadan celebration, which was also the farewell event for Auf as his term as ambassador is coming to an end, he said that the Egyptian community in Saudi Arabia has increased by about 150,000 since the January 25 uprising last year.
 
Egyptian-Saudi relations have been developing and becoming more established, he said, contrary to what some claim. 
 
He said that of all the countries in the world the kingdom has provided the greatest direct support for the Egyptian economy after the revolution, with about $3.75 billion.
 
The arrest of Egyptian human rights lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawy on 17 April in Jeddah on charges of drugs smuggling shook Egyptian-Saudi relations. Protests outside the Saudi diplomatic missions by Egyptians who said he was actually arrested for defending the rights of Egyptian workers led to the temporary withdrawal of the Saudi ambassador.
 
Prior to his arrest, Gizawy had filed a lawsuit against the Saudi authorities over their treatment of Egyptians in the kingdom.
 
His case was not brought up by an Egyptian delegation that traveled to the kingdom to resolve the crisis at the time, nor by President Mohamed Morsy who visited the kingdom two weeks ago. Last week Gizawy's trial was adjourned until September. Prosecutors have called for the death penalty.
 
I April the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights published a list of 35 political prisoners detained in Saudi jails without trial, among a total of 1,401 Egyptians imprisoned in the kingdom. 
 
The two counties enjoyed significant political cooperation during Hosni Mubarak's reign, as Mubarak had the same views as the Saudi regime on Iran's expanded political influence in the region. Saudi Arabia offered refuge to Mubarak after the 25 January uprising erupted last year.
 
Edited translation from MENA
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Saudi ambassador denies crown prince visited Mubarak

by admin
May 29th, 2012

Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed al-Qattan on Tuesday denied reports printed in an Egyptian newspaper that Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz visited former President Hosni Mubarak in the medical center where he is detained.



The independent Al-Watan daily, which is owned by Mohamed Amin and edited by Magdy el-Gallad, had said that certain dignitaries and Arab leaders, including the Emir of Kuwait, Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, and the Saudi crown prince visited Mubarak.



“The crown prince has not been to Cairo for almost two years and has never seen that medical center,” Qattan said, calling on the media to report accurately so as not to jeopardize the good relations between the two countries.



Kuwaiti Ambassador Rashid al-Hamad also denied that the emir visited Mubarak.

“The last time the emir was here was in January 2011 to attend the Arab Economic Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh before the revolution,” he said.



Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
 

Tags: , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Saudis barred lawyers from attending Gizawy questioning, wife says

by admin
May 27th, 2012

The wife of Ahmed al-Gizawy, the Egyptian human rights activist and lawyer detained in Saudi Arabia on charges of drugs smuggling, has said Saudi authorities did not allow a lawyer to attend his questioning.

Shahenda al-Gizawy said Yasser Elwany, the legal adviser at the Egyptian consulate in Jeddah, had informed her that neither an Egyptian nor a Saudi lawyer were allowed to attend the sessions.

She told Al-Masry Al-Youm that several Egyptian and Saudi lawyers volunteered to defend her husband, but authorities did not let them.

“This raises doubts about investigations procedures,” she said.

Gizawy’s arrest on 17 April led to protests at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo, which led to the temporary withdrawal of Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed al-Qattan. Prior to his arrest, Gizawy had filed a lawsuit against Saudi authorities over their treatment of Egyptians.

The ambassador returned after an Egyptian parliamentary delegation visited the kingdom.

Shahenda al-Gizawy also said Egyptian consulate officials told her they hadn’t been able to review the indictment or decide on a legal solution because Saudi authorities have not allowed it.

Khaled Abu Kereisha, a member of the Lawyers Syndicate board who will defend Gizawy in Saudi Arabia, said the syndicate had already submitted two requests to Saudi authorities to attend the questioning sessions and review the indictment, but they received a negative response.

The problem “is not about granting visas to the Egyptian lawyer delegation, as rumored. It’s about permitting them to defend Gizawy,” he said.

Procedures for defending a suspect are clear, Abu Kereisha said, and involve legal representation during both questioning and trial as well as access to the documents of the case.

“Without those steps, we will question trial procedures and demand a retrial, which would trigger a new crisis between Cairo and Riyadh,” Abu Kereisha said.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , , , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Suspects accused of helping Saudi-detained lawyer deny charges

by admin
May 13th, 2012

Two people alleged by Saudi prosecutors to have been working with Egyptian lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawy to smuggle and distribute drugs in Saudi Arabia have denied the accusations leveled against them.

Gizawy, a human rights activist who previously sued the Saudi king and authorities over treatment of Egyptian prisoners in the kingdom, was detained by Saudi authorities on drug-smuggling charges on 17 April.

Saudi newspaper Al-Madina said the two alleged partners, a Saudi pharmacist and an Egyptian accountant, have denied receiving drugs from Gizawy and denied knowing him.

The Saudi prosecution is currently questioning all the suspects in the case. The process is expected to be completed within the next few days.

A representative of the Saudi government-funded National Society for Human Rights, Suleiman bin Salem al-Hunaini, said he is attending the questioning of all the suspects. He has met with the prosecutor and the head of the prosecution’s drugs department to discuss the details of the case, he added.

Gizawy’s arrest triggered protests at the kingdom’s diplomatic missions to Egypt, which resulted in their closure and the Saudi ambassador’s withdrawal. The ambassador returned after an Egyptian delegation flew to Saudi Arabia to ease tensions.

Saudi Arabia also pledged to deliver previously agreed-on financial aid to Egypt, the first part of which is scheduled to be delivered in June.

During the delegation’s visit, Egyptian People’s Assembly Speaker Saad al-Katatny told Saudi newspaper Okaz that Parliament will not interfere in Gizawy’s case and that it has confidence in the Saudi judiciary.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Saudi ambassador: Our relationship with Mubarak ended the day he stepped down

by admin
May 8th, 2012

Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed al-Qattan said that the relationship between his country and ousted President Hosni Mubarak ended the day he gave up power on 11 February 2011, denying that the kingdom has offered to host Mubarak or offered him treatment in Tabuk.

Qattan told Al-Masry Al-Youm in a private interview that he had been recalled to Saudi Arabia for consultations. He said that peaceful demonstration is a right that was abused by Egyptian protesters who insulted the kingdom with provocative and obscene chants.

He said that Saudi Arabia “has refused the presence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the past because we do not see them as a religious movement. We do not have any political parties in the kingdom and their work is political with a religious cover.”

Qattan said that Saudi Arabia is impartial toward all strains of Islam. He said that Wahhabism and the fatwas regarding the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice will not be applied outside the kingdom.  

The Saudi ambassador said his country will not involve itself in Egypt’s presidential election, denying that it supports Amr Moussa for president. He said that the kingdom deals with regimes and not persons.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Egyptian Consulate legal adviser will attend Gizawy investigations

by admin
May 8th, 2012

A representative from the Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah on Tuesday will attend Saudi investigations of Ahmed al-Gizawy, an Egyptian lawyer detained in the kingdom on charges of drug smuggling.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said its consul general in Saudi Arabia has assigned Yasser al-Olwany, the consulate’s legal adviser, to attend the investigations.

Ahmed Khalaf al-Rashed, a Saudi lawyer, will defend Gizawy in court.

On Monday, Olwany intervened with Saudi authorities to allow Gizawy, who is detained at a drug-fighting authority in Jeddah, to telephone his wife and reassure his family about his condition.

Initial news reports had claimed Gizawy was detained for defaming the Saudi king and had been sentenced to lashing in absentia, which ignited protests in front of the Saudi Embassy in Cairo. The Saudi Embassy recalled its ambassador in response to the clashes.

Saudi authorities said Gizawy was apprehended on charges of drug smuggling, as some of the luggage in his possession was found to contain large quantities of narcotics.

The Saudi ambassador returned to Egypt on Saturday and the embassy resumed its work after an Egyptian parliamentary delegation flew to Saudi Arabia to ease tensions over the Gizawy crisis. Saudi Arabia has pledged to fulfill all previously agreed-on assistance packages.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Saudi ambassador says his country does not back any presidential candidate

by admin
May 8th, 2012

Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed al-Qattan said that his country will not involve itself in the Egyptian presidential election and does not back any candidate.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya news channel on Monday, Qattan asserted that contrary to rumors that the kingdom supports Amr Moussa, Saudi Arabia is not in fact supporting any presidential candidate behind the scenes.

Qattan said that Amr Moussa is a statesman who has broad support, and that the Egyptian media has claimed that the reward he received from the Arab League was from Saudi Arabia.

Privately owned Al-Masryoon newspaper reported last May that Saudi Arabia had allocated a US$5 million reward to Moussa for his service as Arab League secretary general. Some activists on online social networks like Facebook and Twitter believe the reward was support for Moussa's presidential campaign.

Moussa denied receiving funds from Saudi Arabia for his election campaign in an interview with London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper in January.

Saudi Arabia was the first country to offer financial support of Egypt after the revolution, Qattan said. He added that the Egyptian revolution was the result of the Egyptian people suffering oppression and injustice for a long time in response to claims that Gulf countries are worried about the Arab revolutions being exported to them.

Saudi Arabia was one of the primary supporters of the ousted regime of former President Hosni Mubarak, with which Moussa is often accused of being affiliated. The kingdom announced its full support for Mubarak during the 25 January uprising last year that eventually brought down the regime.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)
Next Page »