LONDON: Sa'ud Mukhtar Al-Hashimi, 47, was arrested in Saudi Arabia by Saudi secret forces and has been detained since 2 February 2007. He has been a prominent figure of the “reformers” movement which has called for constitutional reform and democratic rights in the country. Over the past five years, he has been physically and psychologically tortured and was not brought before a judge until 2011. His detention has been deemed arbitrary and illegal by those advocating for his rights in Saudi as well as the United Nations' Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. He remains imprisoned until today. On 2 February 2007 in the late hours of the night, Dr. Sa'ud al-Hashimi was arrested in Saudi Arabia along with 8 other well-known personalities in Saudi civil society as they met to discuss a constitution for their committee for the defence of civil and political freedoms. Dr. Al-Hashimi himself is a medical doctor and faculty member at the King Abdulaziz University and before his arrest was often present in Arab media offering his opinions on various topics. One of his recordings called for greater transparency into the research centres of academics and religious scholars which would promote an open and accountable society. His arrest was justified by the Ministry of Interior, General Mansur al-Turki, due Al- Hashimi's alleged support of terrorism and illegal activities. His detention, however, is in violation of articles 9, 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For the first 14 months of his detention in Ruwais prison, he was in solitary confinement and severely tortured. In June 2009, Dr. Al-Hashimi began a hunger strike in protest of his unfair detention. This prompted retaliation from Saudi authorities by torturing him with beatings and long periods of cold and hot temperatures. He was held in a cell without light and was denied medical care which has caused his diabetes and chronic digestive disease to severely deteriorate since his detention. In January 2010, after being transferred to a prison in Riyadh, he was told he would be brought before a judge. This prompted him to a hire a lawyer, but in early November 2010, Dr. Al-Hashimi was tortured using electric shock in retribution for attempting to have a fair trial. Finally, in January 2011, as his condition worsened, he was brought before a judge twice. During this period he was tortured by being stripped and held in a cold room for four days in an effort to pressure him into accepting the charges against him. The judge finally sentenced the Doctor on 22 November 2011 to 30 years' imprisonment, 30 years travel ban following his release and a fine of 2 million riyals (approximately £342,000). To this day, he remains in solitary confinement and is constantly monitored by a camera. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/FkDEz Tags: Activist, Hashimi, Jail, Reform Section: Human Rights, Latest News, Saudi Arabia
