The trial of Egyptian lawyers Ahmed El-Gizawi, Islam Bakr and Saudi Arabian Badr Bin Nasser, the three accused by Saudi Arabian authorities of drug smuggling was adjourned during its fifth session on Wednesday to 5 December. During Wednesday's session, six eyewitnesses gave their testimony before the court in Jeddah city. Their statements argued that Bakr has a criminal record from last year. Meanwhile, Yasser Elwany the legal counsel for the Egyptian consulate in Jeddah questioned the testimonies of eyewitnesses. On 10 October the case was postponed by the Saudi attorney general due to the absence of the prosecution's eyewitnesses, who failed to appear. El-Gizawi was detained by Saudi authorities on April 2012 on charges of smuggling prescription drugs into the kingdom. His arrest angered many Egyptian activists at the time, who claimed El-Gizawi was imprisoned due to the complaints that the lawyer had previously lodged against Saudi authorities, accusing them of unlawfully jailing Egyptian citizens. Several demonstrations have taken place in Cairo pressing the Egyptian government to take action in cases of Egyptians detained in Saudi Arabia. The latest case triggering social anger over the treatment of Egyptians in the kingdom was that of Naglaa Wafaa whose family after choosing to remain silent for years finally announced their daughter had been sentenced three years earlier to five years prison and 500 lashes. Her family alleged that her prosecution was due to a business conflict she had with one of the Saudi princesses.
