SCAF and the parliament of the Brotherhood are on the same track of Mubarak and continue to compromise the dignity of Egyptians abroad

Cairo – May 24, 2012

ANHRI holds the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Egyptian People’s Assembly of the Brotherhood majority fully responsible for the life of Ahmed al-Gizawy, Egyptian lawyer detained in Saudi Arabia. His lawyers were denied access into his trial, even though he is charged with a contrived felony that may amount to a death penalty. Al-Gizawy was charged with allegedly “bringing sedative pills into Saudi Arabia” in mid-April upon his arrival at Jeddah airport to perform Umrah, a religious Islamic practice.

The Saudi ambassador had been summoned from Cairo following widespread protests by young Egyptians, including protests in front of the Saudi embassy. The case has caught the attention of the Egyptian public, being an episode of the series of ongoing infringements on the rights of Egyptians in Saudi Arabia since the nineties. Although human dignity was one of the slogans raised by the Egyptians during their revolution, SCAF and the parliament of the Brotherhood have followed Mubarak’s approach in compromising the dignity of Egyptians abroad, whether by apologizing to the government of darkness in Saudi Arabia, or by maintaining the Egyptian ambassador in Saudi Arabia, one of the worst Egyptian ambassadors. He has taken no action in many incidents and cases related to the defense of Egyptian nationals or preservation of their dignity in Saudi Arabia.

The Egyptian embassy sufficed with following-up with a lawyer from the National Association for Human Rights, which does not enjoy adequate credibility, in Saudi Arabia. The inaction of the Egyptian ambassador comes amid many uncertainties surrounding of al-Gizawy’s case, especially that he has been famous for his criticism of the Saudi government’s practices and infringements on the rights of Egyptians there. Al-Gizawy is charged in a felony that by law requires a lawyer present with him during investigations; however, because the Egyptian embassy is accustomed to condone the human rights violations of the Saudi regime, it has not appointed a credible professional attorney. No Egyptian lawyer is allowed to see him and check on him and on the validity of the proceedings. Therefore, al-Gizawy remains to be dependent on a regime of a bloody record in the field of human rights and of an axis of international and Arab collusion on its crimes. That was the case until the so-called Saudi Bureau of Investigation and General Prosecution, which is not independent and is practically controlled by the Saudi Minister of Interior, has demanded the execution of al-Gizawy.

“The Egyptian government has released some Saudi criminals convicted in criminal cases, and they were imprisoned in Egypt. A senior Egyptian delegation visited Saudi Arabia a few weeks ago. However, the Saudi government persisted in its intransigence against al-Gizawy. This is a disgrace to SCAF and the parliamentary delegation whose visit to Saudi Arabia has become closer to an entertainment trip, and not a discussion on the status of Egyptians in this state,” said ANHRI.

The Egyptian people no longer have means to implement their slogans of dignity but their revolution. Al-Gizawy’s deprivation from his rights that are guaranteed by law and the persistence of Saudi Arabia in compromising Egyptians’ dignity there will deepen the abyss and create a state of hostility that no one knows its outcome in the future. There is no substitute for respecting human rights and ceasing the compromise of any Egyptian’s dignity so that the relationship returns to normal. The Saudi government has to stop its retaliatory campaign against the Egyptians, who overthrew the Egyptian dictator who was an ally and a friend of Saudi Arabia’s dictator.