On August 8, a number of charges were dropped against some of the 69 Jordanian and Palestinian detainees in Saudi prisons continues, however, their plight continues as the future of the rest of the detainees remains uncertain, after harsh sentences were issued against them, some of which reached 22 years imprisonment.
The head of the Jordanian Committee for the Defense of Jordanian Detainees in Saudi Arabia, Khedr Al-Mashaikh, confirmed that the Jordanian and Palestinian detainees were subjected to prejudice by the Saudi authorities as “their security, social and employment files are sound, and no legal violations or criminal records have been made against them.”, he added that the committee had prepared an appeal for the appeal session to be held early November.
Mashaikh pointed out that “10 of the detainees were acquitted and they are supposed to be released, and we aim to that the rest would be treated with fairness and justice, especially since some of them are elderly and sick who have been sentenced to harsh sentences, which threatens their lives.”
“The detainees are held in Abha and Dammam prisons, and most of them are living in a very bad psychological state due to their arrest and shocking sentences.”, Mashaikh added, “some families are unable to visit their relatives due to the expiry of their residency permits and their departure from Saudi Arabia,”, “communication between detainees and their families over the phone takes place every week or two, as decided by the prison administration.”
Mashaikh confirmed deliberate “negligence” by the Jordanian government on the file of detainees in Saudi Arabia and said: “We did not receive any official support, and we did not hear from the government any statement on the detainees. Even the embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah did not follow up on the file.”
He added, “It is true that we received official promises, but in reality we did not benefit anything, and we appointed lawyers at the expense of the people, after the Minister of Foreign Affairs had promised to take over this file.”
“After the verdicts were issued, a state of frustration and anger spread among the detainees and their families who had hopes that official and unofficial demands and moves would be made, especially by His Majesty King Abdullah II and the Prime Minister.”, Mashaikh added.
He stressed that “our only demand is that the Saudi authorities release all detainees.”
It is worth noting that the Saudi authorities had carried out a campaign of arrests in February of last year that included more than 60 Jordanians and Palestinians working in Saudi Arabia for dozens of years before turning them to trial on charges of supporting the Palestinian resistance, in a mass trial marred by serious violations of legal procedures.
Detainees included the academic Dr. Mohamed Al-Khudari, 83, who was arbitrarily arrested by the Saudi authorities along with his son, Dr. Hani Al-Khudari on April 4, 2019.
In his detention in Riyadh, Al-Khudari is being deprived of the health care he needs due to having the prostate cancer, while the prison authorities have not allowed him to consult a specialised doctor for more than a year. This had led to the deterioration of his condition, causing him the inability to move his right arm due to the harsh sleeping conditions in his cell. He also lost half of his hearing, and he suffers from severe pain in the teeth, loss of some of them, difficulty eating, urinary incontinence, herniated disc, knee pain, and osteoporosis and general fragility.
On October 14, Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK held a seminar in which legal and human rights advocates demanded the release of Al-Khudari.
Mashaikh confirmed deliberate “negligence” by the Jordanian government on the file of detainees in Saudi Arabia and said: “We did not receive any official support, and we did not hear from the government any statement on the detainees. Even the embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah did not follow up on the file.”
He added, “It is true that we received official promises, but in reality we did not benefit anything, and we appointed lawyers at the expense of the people, after the Minister of Foreign Affairs had promised to take over this file.”
“After the verdicts were issued, a state of frustration and anger spread among the detainees and their families who had hopes that official and unofficial demands and moves would be made, especially by His Majesty King Abdullah II and the Prime Minister.”, Mashaikh added.
He stressed that “our only demand is that the Saudi authorities release all detainees.”
It is worth noting that the Saudi authorities had carried out a campaign of arrests in February of last year that included more than 60 Jordanians and Palestinians working in Saudi Arabia for dozens of years before turning them to trial on charges of supporting the Palestinian resistance, in a mass trial marred by serious violations of legal procedures.
Detainees included the academic Dr. Mohamed Al-Khudari, 83, who was arbitrarily arrested by the Saudi authorities along with his son, Dr. Hani Al-Khudari on April 4, 2019.
In his detention in Riyadh, Al-Khudari is being deprived of the health care he needs due to having the prostate cancer, while the prison authorities have not allowed him to consult a specialised doctor for more than a year. This had led to the deterioration of his condition, causing him the inability to move his right arm due to the harsh sleeping conditions in his cell. He also lost half of his hearing, and he suffers from severe pain in the teeth, loss of some of them, difficulty eating, urinary incontinence, herniated disc, knee pain, and osteoporosis and general fragility.
On October 14, Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK held a seminar in which legal and human rights advocates demanded the release of Al-Khudari.
