The son of one Saudi academic observes a hunger strike

A judiciary establishment in London said that the son of the Saudi academic Sheikh Saeed Bin al-Zaer started a hunger strike since 6 days in a prison to the south of the Saudi capital in Riyadh.

The director of the Islamic forum Yasser al-Serri said that Mubarak Saed Bin Mubarak al-Zaer started a food strike in Haer jail in protest of conditions of his detention. The same source said that Saed's father is still in the hands of the Saudi authorities since his detention in April under the charge of supporting terrorism and that his brother Saad has been detained since two years.

The Saudi authorities detained Sheikh Saed Bin al-Zaer on the background of his participation in the coverage made by al-Jazeera TV commenting on a tape broadcast for the leader of al-Qaida organization Osama Bin Laden in which he called for the truce with the west -- with the exception of the US -- but under the condition that countries will not attack Muslims.

Al-Zaer, former media teacher at al-Imam university was detained for 8.5 years under the background of his demands to maintain reforms without any accusations addressed to him. He was released in March 2003.