Cairo January 15, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), today, strongly denounces the sentence issued against the Egyptian lawyer “Ahmed El-Gezawi” for 5 years and 300 whips.

The Judicial Circuit no. 16 in the public court in Jeddah, in the hearing held on Tuesday January 15, 2013 had issued a judgment of imprisoning the Egyptian lawyer “Ahmed El-Gezawi” five years and 300 whips on the background of smuggling narcotic drugs to Saudi Arabia in cooperation with an Egyptian defendant and other from Saudi-Arabia. The case was deliberated for 12 hearing in the same court before the judgment is issued.

The case back to April 17, 2012, where “Gezwai” were going to Saudi-Arabia with his wife to perform Umrah and when they reached the airport of Jeddah, they were arrested and then he was charged of brining narcotic drugs.

ANHRI said in the a press release some of the points that declare the malicious of accusations pressed on “El-Gezawi” and proves the fabrications of the allegations:

1- Gezawi was arrested during obtaining the seal of entry to Saudi-Arabia before he went in the customs inspection circuit in King Abdulaziz international airport near Jedah, which proves that his name was among the watch list due to his political stands from Saudi-Arabia therefore, it is natural to fabricate a case to punish him;
2- Gezawi during his travel with his wife had only two cases, which aren’t sufficient to carry (21380 Narcotic pills), in particulary as his wife has obtained two cases after he was arrested. The bags was full with the belongs;

3- The fabricated case against Gezawi, according to the penal law of Saudi-Arabia, is criminal in which a lawyer must appear with him, but this didn’t happen as the pressures practiced on several Saudi lawyers to be banned from defending them and the monitoring of the national association for human rights, didn’t require a lawyer to represent him.

ANHRI said that “the sentence issued against “Gezawi” is a serious violation to the freedom of expression as it is a politicized sentence that didn’t have the fair trial guarantees. Therefore, it is a punishment to him for defending the arrested Egyptian inside the prisons of the Kingdom by false allegations and criticizing the king in which he called to bound Saudi-Arabia to submit the Egyptians who are arrested there, which the authorities consider it as an insult to king”.

ANHRI calls on the immediate release from Gezawi, drop all the charges pressed on them, guarantee his safety and not prosecute him. ANHRI calls the Egyptian authorities to the necessity to raise the unfair “Gezawi” and exerting the efforts to push the authorities to review his case.
For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=52203
http://www.anhri.net/?p=52566
http://www.anhri.net/?p=56398

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