CAIRO: In two days of consecutive protest, Egyptian youth continued to demand the release of human rights lawyer, Al Gizawi, who is detained in Saudi Arabia for allegedly defaming its monarchy. Al Gizawi, who flew to Saudi Arabia for a religious pilgrimage, was arrested on arrival on April 17. Officials found more than 20, 000 anti-anxiety pills hidden in his luggage, according to a statement from the Saudi Embassy. Hundreds of outraged protesters gathered in front of the Saudi Embassy Tuesday as anti-Saudi sentiment exacerbated over a long-standing history of discrimination and ill treatment against Egyptian migrants in the kingdom. “He's an innocent man, he never did anything! All the accusations against him are false. We urge our government to take action. It needs to make sure that my brother is going to be OK,” pleaded Shereen Al Gizawi. The human rights lawyer is particularly contentious due to a lawsuit he filed in Egypt against King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz over alleged arbitrary detention of hundreds of Egyptians. “We know him. He's a respectable lawyer, his wife's a successful doctor. He would never do something like this. It's crazy!” roared a friend of Gizawi in front of the Saudi Embassy. “It shows that our government is incapable of doing anything, it's preposterous! It only serves to protect our enemies' interests!” he added. “Our revolution is like an infection. The monarchy is afraid and it's trying to prevent a revolution there by repressing any criticism against the regime,” uttered an activist asserting they will continue to protest Thursday and Friday. Anti-government protests in Saudi Arabia have intensified since November of last year, when security forces opened fire on the protesters in Qatif, killing five people and leaving many more injured.
