The first official response from Egypt's government came as the foreign affairs ministry spokesman Amr Roushdi said that the ministry is “tentatively” following human rights lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawi's case. Gizawi was sentenced to a year in prison and 20 lashes. Gizawi was arrested on April 16 upon his arrival in the ultra-conservative Gulf kingdom to take part in the Umrah religious pilgrimage. He was unaware that a Saudi court sentenced him to a year in prison and 20 lashes for insulting the God and the kingdom. Roushdi said that the ministry is “seriously following the developments of the case” and making urgent calls with the Saudi side as part of its efforts to see Gizawi released. Egyptians are in an uproar over the arrest, and have made their point across social websites like Facebook and Twitter and have not only directed their attack against the kingdom, but at its people as well. Roushdi miledly critized the attacks, saying that the ministry “understands how upset Egyptians are,” but urged them to think if these opinions will help or hurt the cause. The Saudi ambassador to Egypt had promised Egyptians good news late on Monday, in a phone call to the news program on the Orbit news channel, where he said the ruling is merely a “preliminary sentence” that can easily be appealed. Qattan also condemned the attack on his kingdom after scores of Egyptians expressed their anger at the detention of Gizawi.
