Al-Gizawy The trial of Egyptian lawyer accused of trafficking drugs to Saudi Arabia was postponed, for the third week in a row, till Wednesday till 15 January. Ahmed Al-Gizawy has been in Saudi jail since his arrest in April at King Abdulaziz International Airport on his way to perform Umrah (minor pilgrimage). Saudi authorities alleged he was in possession of roughly 21,000 Xanax anti-anxiety pills which are illegal in Saudi Arabia. The General Court in Jeddah stated the latest postponement was for further study of the case, state-owned Al-Ahram reported. Two weeks ago, the legal advisor of Egypt's consulate in Jeddah Yasser Alwani revealed for the first time that the packets of milk in which the drugs were allegedly found had a production date of 20 April, 2012. Al-Gizawy was arrested on 17 April; three days before the milk packets were produced. Alwani is currently providing legal counsel to Al-Gizawy, who is defending himself in court. Though his family expected the court to rule on the case then, it was postponed for a week to acquire the general prosecution's response. Last Wednesday, the trial resumed for minutes to be postponed till Wednesday, the general prosecution announced the charges and evidence provided during the previous sessions was sufficient. Al-Gizawy's family claims the lawyer's health conditions are in constant deterioration. He was transferred to hospital almost a month ago. Al-Gizawy had previously claimed that he had been tortured during his interrogation and detention, but the presiding judge determined there was no evidence to support his allegations. Al-Gizawy had previously worked to improve conditions for Egyptians living and working in Saudi Arabia. Human rights groups have pointed at his activist track record as political motivation for the Saudi Arabian government to detain him. Additional reporting by Basil El-Dabh
