CAIRO: Wednesday will mark the beginning the trial of Egyptian human rights lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawi, who remains detained in Saudi Arabia for allegedly trafficking drugs into the ultra-conservative Gulf country. The trial will begin in the city of Jeddah on the Saudi West coast. The Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs said on Monday that the Egyptian consulate in Saudi is in contact with Gizawi's wife to choose a Saudi law firm to handle his case. The ministry said in a press statement that the firm had been chosen and the consulate is playing the middle man in talks between Gizawi's wife and the defense team. The ministry spokesman said that Egypt's embassies abroad do not have any funds directed at aiding Egyptians outside the country and they do not have the authority to hire a lawyer directly if an Egyptian is facing legal problems. He added that unless the Parliament drafts a law to establish a fund to help Egyptians abroad, the embassies have little to do in reality. They also called on organizations to donate money to help Gizawi's family pay for the defense team. Saudi reports mentioned on Tuesday that the public prosecutor in Saudi will call for Gizawi's execution for allegedly trafficking 22,000 pills in his luggage. His family denied the charges, saying it defied logic for him to leave the heavily secured Cairo International Airport with the drugs. Gizawi previously sued the Saudi government for imprisoning Egyptian without charges or legal representation and most observers believe the drug charges are a response to his rights battles.
