Archive for the Egyptian Consulate

Gizawy’s trial adjourned to 2 January

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December 26th, 2012

A Jeddah court on Wednesday adjourned the trial of Ahmed al-Gizawy and Islam Mahmoud Bakr, two Egyptians, as well as Badr bin Nasser, a Saudi Arabian, to 2 January. They are charged with smuggling banned drugs into Saudi Arabia.

Their lawyer, Yasser Elwany, who is the legal advisor of the Egyptian Consulate, said the production date printed on the milk cans that contained the drugs reads 20 April 2012, whereas Gizawy was arrested on 17 April 2012.

The suspects are accused of smuggling banned Xanax tablets into Saudi Arabia.

A Yemeni witness alleged that Bakr told him to buy drugs from Gizawy for SR15,000 but was unable to specify the date that this happened. The court reviewed six witness testimonies alleging that Bakr had committed a criminal offense one year ago.

Yasser Elwany, legal adviser of the Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah, was skeptical about some testimonies, saying that did not even get the names and features of the suspects correct.

Elwany is authorized by the defend the accused during the trial.

Gizawy was arrested on 17 April, and the trial’s first session was held on 18 July. Saudi prosecutors had earlier called for the death penalty.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Gizawy trial adjourned to 5 December

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November 14th, 2012

A Saudi court in Jeddah decided Wednesday to postpone the trial of Egyptian nationals Ahmed al-Gizawy and Islam Bakr and Saudi national Badr bin Nasser to 5 December, in order to give them a chance to respond to the evidence submitted by the prosecutor.

The suspects are accused of smuggling banned Xanax tablets into the kingdom. The court reviewed six witness testimonies alleging that Bakr had committed a crime a year ago.

Yasser Elwany, legal adviser of the Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah, was skeptical about some testimonies for not giving the correct name and features of the suspect.

Elwany is authorized by the suspects to defend them during the trial. He will draft the legal response to the evidence during the next session.

Gizawy was arrested on 17 April, and the trial’s first session was held on 18 July. Saudi prosecutors had earlier called for the death penalty for Gizawy.

Edited translation from MENA

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Egyptian detained for blasphemy in Saudi threatens suicide

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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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Car of Egyptian diplomat blown up in Benghazi

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August 20th, 2012

A car belonging to an Egyptian diplomat was blown up near his home in the eastern Libyan city Benghazi on Monday, a day after deadly bomb attacks in the capital Tripoli blamed on supporters of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi.

A homemade device exploded under the vehicle of the Egyptian consulate's first secretary Abdelhamid Rifai in one of the city's most affluent neighborhoods but no one was hurt, security sources told Reuters.

Both Sunday and Monday's attacks took place days ahead of the first anniversary of the capture of Tripoli by rebels during last year's revolution.

The violence will test the mettle of a national assembly that made improving security a priority when it assumed control of the country earlier this month.

Three car bombs exploded near interior ministry and security buildings in the Libyan capital on Sunday, killing two people and wounding three others.

They were the first fatal attacks of their kind since Gaddafi's overthrow and death last year after 42 years in power.

Libyan security officials said on Sunday they had arrested 32 members of an organized network of Gaddafi loyalists linked to the attacks.

Libya has been hit by persistent instability since the overthrow of Gaddafi. Authorities are still trying to disarm numerous groups, mostly militias who took part in the uprising, who refuse to lay down their weapons.

The International Committee of the Red Cross suspended its activities in Benghazi, Libya's second biggest city, and Misrata after one of its compounds in Misrata was attacked with grenades and rockets.

The fate of seven Iranian relief workers, official guests of the Libyan Red Crescent Association, remains unknown almost three weeks after they were kidnapped by gunmen in the heart of Benghazi.

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Saudis barred lawyers from attending Gizawy questioning, wife says

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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

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Saudi Arabia releases Egyptian boat held over illegal fishing

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May 21st, 2012

The Foreign Ministry said Monday that an Egyptian boat held by Saudi authorities for fishing illegally in Saudi territorial waters has been released.

A ministry statement said efforts made by the Egyptian consulate in Jeddah resulted in the release of Hassan Abdo, a fishing boat with a 35-man crew.

Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Ahmed Ragheb said Saudi authorities were very cooperative with the issue. He said the boat’s captain had been fined SAR10,000, though it was the third time his vessel entered Saudi waters without permission.

Ragheb added that Saudi speedboats escorted the released ship until it was out of Saudi waters. He said the Saudi coast guard commander had ordered this because the boat was too dilapidated to operate and unsafe for fisherman.

Ragheb said Saudi authorities allowed the fishermen to take half of the quantity of fish they caught on their trip.

Earlier Monday, the Foreign Ministry said the consulate in Jeddah was following the case of the boat, which was detained in the Gazan area in Saudi Arabia for sailing in the Saudi waters without permission.

Ali al-Esheiry, the Egyptian consul in Jeddah, talked with the Saudi border guard commander to ensure that the detained sailors were treated well.

Saudi authorities are considering what measures to take against the boat crew.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Egyptian Consulate legal adviser will attend Gizawy investigations

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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

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