An International Front to defend the Saudi reformer Bin Zeer
Saudi Arabia-Regional, Politics, 8/3/2004

The Arab Human Rights Committee said it works for forming an Arab and international commission to defend the Saudi reformer Sheikh Saeed Bin Zeer who was forced by the authorities of the Kingdom last Saturday to be brought before the judge without a defendant lawyer after three months of his detention.

A statement by the defense front for the opinion prisoner, Saeed Bin Zeer, said that the Saudi academic called for assigning his son, lawyer Abdullah, as responsible for the lawyers front which is in charge of causes at the local and international levels.

The statement added that the Arab human rights committee was contacted -- an an international non- governmental organization and has a consultative status at the UN -- to form an Arab and international lawyers front to defend Bin Zeer.

The front's preliminary list, which is coordinated by the spokesman for the Arab human rights organization Haitham Manaa, includes more than 10 prominent lawyers from Arab and European countries, representing legal organizations and commissions.

At the meantime, the list includes Najib al-Nueimi ( Qatar), Amjad Salfeiti ( Britain), Ibrahim al-Tawti ( chairman of the International justice organization- Denmark) Elizabeth Zeghlid ( a lawyer and writer from Holland), Nathali Bu Jrada ( France); Rashid Masli ( director of al-Karama office- Switzerland); Haitham al-Maleh ( chairman of the human rights society- Syria); Suleiman Bin Saleh al-Rashoudi ( Saudi lawyer and reformer), Osama al-Munawer ( Kuwait); Daniel Fogha ( the lawyer of the Arab human rights committee ) and Salim Yahya Sharif ( Algeria).

The defense commission statement indicated that the list is still open before the liberal lawyers who want to join it, expressing solidaity with Saeed Bin Zeer and his two detained brothers Mubarak and Saad and other political detainees in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi authorities detained Sheikh Saeed Bin Zeer on April 17 over his participation in the coverage made by al-Jazeera TV on commenting of the tape broadcast for the leader of al-Qaida organization Osama Bin Laden in which he called for a truce with the west -- except the US -- but under the condition not to attack Muslims.

Worthy mentioning that Bin Zeer is a media teacher at al-Imam university. He is considered as the first known opinion prisoner in the Kingdom. He was jailed since eights and a half years over demanding reforms but he was not accused of any charges and released in March 2003.

Previous Stories:
  Riyadh receives wanted persons from sisterly countries   (7/19/2004)
  First municipal elections announced in Saudi Arabia   (7/12/2004)
  The son of one Saudi academic observes a hunger strike   (7/6/2004)
  Because of reciprocated accusations on supporting opposition; No normalization between Riyadh and Doha   (6/12/2004)
  Saudi FM statements on developments   (4/14/2004)
  Saudi FM statements on postponed summit   (3/30/2004)

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