Archive for Saudi authorities

Egypt seeks confirmation of reported gang rape in Saudi

by admin
October 18th, 2012

In response to news reports of the alleged kidnapping and brutal rape of an Egyptian woman in Mecca, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it was urgently contacting Saudi authorities for more information. 

Mecca police found the woman with her hands and feet bound in an apartment in Sharaa district Tuesday, independent Saudi news portal Sabq reported Wednesday. She was taken to a hospital and was suffering physical injuries and psychological trauma, according to the website.

The victim reportedly said during questioning that she had been abducted by several young men who locked her in an apartment and took turns raping her each day. She was held in the apartment for five days until police found her, the website reported.

The news portal said police found her after a resident told them he had heard a woman screaming in a nearby building.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ali al-Eshairy said the ministry had called the Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah to verify the incident with Saudi authorities and submit a report on the details.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Egyptian detained for blasphemy in Saudi threatens suicide

by admin
October 17th, 2012

The Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah scrambled to meet with an unidentified Egyptian man who has been detained by Saudi authorities after he repeatedly called the consulate and threatened suicide.

The man claimed to have been held for 37 days in the Quba Police Department in Medina "unlawfully." The consulate's legal adviser

Yasser al-Wani met with the man for an hour. Consul General Ambassador Adel al-Alfi later followed up with the police department head.

The citizen faces charges of blaspheming religion and was arrested after a complaint filed against him by another Egyptian citizen, backed up by the testimony of a Saudi citizen. The case is scheduled for a hearing on 11 November.

According to Wani, the man continues to be detained at the police station because he refused to provide identity documents or sponsorship information to authorities, preventing him from being transferred to the general prison. However, the consulate has sent a memorandum to the Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry asking for the man to be released on bail.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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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

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Gizawy attends Saudi trial with hands and feet shackled

by admin
September 5th, 2012

Ahmed al-Gizawy, the Egyptian lawyer detained in Saudi Arabia, attended his trial Wednesday with his hands and feet shackled and denied charges that he attempted to smuggle 21,000 tablets of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax into the country.

“The prosecution says I was arrested at 5:30 AM whereas I was arrested at 1:30 PM on my way out of the airport,” Gizawy said, requesting a representative of the Egyptian consulate in Jeddah to attend the trial.

“I do not blame the Saudi authorities. I do blame the media that made of me an enemy of the Saudi people,” he said.

The prosecutor showed Gizawy a picture of himself sitting in front of a group of milk cans that the prosecution claims was taken upon Gizawy’s arrival to the airport. Gizawy countered that it was forcibly taken seven days after his arrest.

The session was adjourned to 26 September.

The prosecution had requested the death penalty in the first hearing of the trial on 18 July.

Gizawy’s arrest had sparked angry protests outside the Saudi embassy in Cairo in April, leading Riyadh to recall its ambassador, who returned to Cairo a week later after a high-level Egyptian delegation visited Riyadh to assure the Saudi authorities of Egypt's commitment to the good relations.

Saudi Arabia is a major aid donor to Egypt, and closely coordinated with Egypt and the United States on policies during Mubarak's rule that lasted 30 years.

International human rights groups often say Saudi trials are conducted unfairly, a charge denied by Riyadh.

The Saudi judiciary usually gives the death sentence for murder, rape and drug trafficking convictions. Convicts are beheaded in a public square.
 

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Egyptian accuses Saudi authorities of torturing his sons

by admin
July 31st, 2012

An Egyptian citizen accused Saudi authorities of detaining and beating his sons in Jeddah and forcing them withdraw lawsuits filed against their work sponsor in Saudi Arabia.

Mesbah Abdel Azeem Amer’s sons, Mohamed and Ibrahim, traveled to work at the Ateeq milk factory in Medina two years ago, he told Al-Masry Al-Youm. They were able to obtain drivers’ licenses, so they distributed the factory’s products.

According to their father, everything was good until two months later, when factory officials allegedly falsified bills.

Ibrahim was prevented from working for a month, and the two brothers’ residencies were withdrawn, so they filed reports against the officials.

Amer said that Saudi authorities arrested them on 23 July. They were held and beaten at the prosecutor’s office, then released the following day when they went to hospital and asked for a medical report about their conditions. The Egyptian consulate in Jeddah allegedly did nothing after they asked for help.

In a phone call with Al-Masry Al-Youm from Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim said he and his brother were beaten and tortured and that they are staying in the street without residency, passports or money. They called on President Mohamed Morsy to intervene.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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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
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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
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Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
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Wife of lawyer detained in Saudi Arabia hopes Morsy will free him

by admin
July 10th, 2012

The wife of Egyptian lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawy, who is detained in Saudi Arabia on drug-related charges, voiced her hope that President Mohamed Morsy will free her husband during his trip to the Gulf kingdom on Wednesday.

“Morsy is the only hope I have after God, I hope they will both come back on the same plane,” Shahinda Fathy told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

Gizawy was detained in April by Saudi authorities for drug possession, but Egyptian activists, who protested outside the Saudi embassy in Cairo, believe he was detained for criticizing the Kingdom’s treatment of prisoners.

Fathy told Al-Masry Al-Youm she expects Morsy will honor his pledge made through his spokesperson Yasser Ali, to intervene with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz for her husband’s release.

She said if Gizawy is not released before the holy month of Ramadan, which starts on 20 July, there will be fewer prospects for his return in the future.

In May, members of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, which Morsy chaired before his election, headed to Saudi Arabia to calm tensions that flared after Gizawy’s imprisonment.

On Monday, the Saudi newspaper Al-Madina said authorities had approved charges against Gizawy and that a date for his trial would be set.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Morsy says Gulf security inviolable

by admin
July 10th, 2012

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy told a Saudi newspaper that the security of the Gulf states is inviolable, reiterating earlier assurances to Gulf kingdoms wary of the Muslim Brotherhood's political rise following the removal of former President Hosni Mubarak, a key regional ally for Gulf monarchs.

"For Egypt, Gulf security is a red line," Morsy told the Saudi paper Okaz in statements published on Tuesday, one day before heading to Saudi Arabia in his first foreign visit since election.

Morsy stressed the strength of Egyptian-Saudi ties, adding that the Arab and Islamic world derive their strength from those two countries.

During his visit, Morsy is scheduled to meet with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, and Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz. He will also perform Umra pilgrimage rituals.

The visit follows tensions between the two countries that flared in April after the arrest of Egyptian lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawy, whom Saudi authorities accused of smuggling narcotics to the kingdom, while Egyptian activists believe he was arrested for having criticized the Saudi king.

Saudi Arabia contributes with the biggest share of Arab investments in Egypt. The bilateral trade between both states stands at nearly US$5 billion according to 2011 estimates.

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Saudi ambassador says Gizawy’s wife jeopardizing relations

by admin
July 3rd, 2012

Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed al-Qattan on Tuesday accused the wife of detained activist and lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawy of jeopardizing bilateral relations between his country and Egypt.

In a statement issued by the Saudi Embassy in Cairo, Qattan denied that the Saudi authorities decided to execute Gizawy.

He also said that the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy did not call the Saudi crown prince to discuss that issue.

Qattan said Gizawy’s wife, Shahenda Fathy, was not right in saying that her husband is on death row waiting to be executed by the sword.

“This aims to incite the Egyptian public and jeopardize bilateral relations,” the statement said. “She had earlier claimed he was sentenced to 20 lashes.”

“The Egyptian people will not believe these obvious lies that were refuted by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry,” he added.

He pointed out that Gizawy has not been sentenced yet. “Any sentence would be commensurate with the offense he committed, like the rest of the violators of the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Gizawy’s arrest on 17 April sparked protests at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo that led to the temporary withdrawal of Qattan to Saudi Arabia. Prior to his arrest, Gizawy had filed a lawsuit against the Saudi authorities over their treatment of Egyptians.

The ambassador returned to his post in Cairo after an Egyptian parliamentary delegation visited the kingdom.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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