Saudi’s Release of Dr Said bin Zair and other human rights defenders

Saudi Arabia: Update – Release of Dr Said bin Zair and other human rights defenders
01 March 2012 – Alkarahma

Update: In addition to the releases announced in our press release of last Monday, we further welcome the release of Dr Mubarak bin Zair, son of Dr Said bin Zair. He was arrested on 21 March 2011 and was arbitrarily detained until his release yesterday, 29 February 2012. His release came after the Special Criminal Tribunal, a court of exception mandated to examine terrorist-related cases, decided on 14 February 2012 that it was not competent to consider Dr Mubarak bin Zair’s case and consequently ordered his release.
These positive developments are tainted by the news that Mr Saad bin Zair, brother of Dr Mubarak bin Zair and son of Dr Said bin Zair, remains in prison. Moreover, Alkarama was informed that Mr Saad bin Zair was recently tortured and forced to sign false confessions. We firmly condemn these acts as well as his arbitrary detention, lasting nearly 5 years now, and call for his immediate and unconditional release.

Press release of 27 February 2012
Alkarama welcomes the release of Alkarama Award 2011 laureate, Dr Said bin Zair, along with other long standing human rights defenders and political activists in Saudi Arabia. Among the released are Mr Mokhlif Al Shammari, who had been held in incommunicado detention since July 2011, and Mr Thamer Al Khodr, whose detention was recently found to be arbitrary by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s Opinion No. 42/2011. Alkarama has been closely following their situation over the past years and hopes these releases are the beginning of a real reform process. …more