Demands for the release of Bin Zaer
Saudi Arabia, Politics, 4/21/2005

The Arab committee for human rights called on the Saudi authorities to release the media section teacher at the al-Dawa ( call) and information faculty, Saad Bin Zaer, who was detained one year earlier after he had made statements via telephone to al-Jazeera TV, in which he expressed the futility of repression in confrontation of the acts of violence taking place in Saudi Arabia.

In its site on the Internet, the committee explained that Dr. Bin Zaer was taken to al-Hayer prison without any judicial warrant of arrest where he is staying with hundreds of detainees of opinions including Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim al-Rayes and Dr. Walid al-Senani.

The committee indicated that the criminal court in Riyadh issued, after five almost close door sessions which were not attended by lawyers, observers and journalists, sentence against Bin Zaer for five year imprisonment.

The committee stressed that the political detainees in al-Hayer jail organized several hunger strikes in protest of the "inhuman" conditions over their detentions and the absence of the defendant means and lack of health conditions that should be ensured for the detainees, noting that Zaer lost 30 kg of his weight.

In its statement, the committee said it considers the detention of Bin Zaer as an oppressive act and his trial as illegal, and demanded his trial be in the open and in a transparent way in the presence of Arab and international lawyers and observers. The committee also held the Saudi authorities the responsibility of his grave health condition.

Previous Stories:
  Saudi court postpones considering the case of three reformers   (4/4/2005)
  Saudi Arabia might permit women to vote shortly; Straw urges reform   (2/24/2005)
  Riyadh: ministerial reshuffle includes the ministries of information, al-Haj education and social affairs   (2/9/2005)
  Saudi Academic sentenced for five year imprisonment   (9/20/2004)
  Trial of three Saudi reformers postponed   (8/24/2004)
  An International Front to defend the Saudi reformer Bin Zeer   (8/3/2004)
  One Arab organization speaks about hundreds of detainees in Saudi Arabia   (5/11/2004)
  Saudi Arabia to reconsider human rights violations   (3/16/2004)
  First Saudi organization for human rights   (3/10/2004)

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