Saudi Arabian human rights defender and Shi’a Muslim rights activist Munir Baqir al-Jessas has been detained since November 2009, possibly for his criticism of the authorities' treatment of the Shi’a community in Saudi Arabia. More than seven months later no charges have been brought against him and he remains detained without trial.
Munir al-Jessas is reported to have been arrested for writing articles that he published online advocating greater respect for human rights in Saudi Arabia, particularly the rights of the minority Shi’a community.
He was arrested on the morning of 8 November 2009 at his workplace in Dammam, a city in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province, and a few hours later security police searched his home, confiscated two laptop computers, a digital camera, and a hard disc.
A week after the arrest of Munir al-Jessas, his sister,
Bayan al-Jassas,is reported to have been summoned to the offices of the General Investigation (al-Mabahith al-‘Ama) for questioning after she helped publish an article criticizing the government’s treatment of the Shi’a community in Saudi Arabia.
She is said to have been questioned for six hours and
permitted to leave the office of al-Mabahith al-‘Ama only after she agreed to sign a declaration pledging to cease writing about or publicizing the issue.
Munir al-Jessas is currently held at the prison run by al-Mabahith al-‘Ama in Dammam. He is reported to have been held in solitary confinement for the first
four months during which his wife was permitted to visit him only rarely, but he is now no longer in solitary confinement and his family is able to visit him regularly. Amnesty International is concerned that Munir al-Jessas may be a prisoner of conscience detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and for his promotion of human rights. If so, he should be released immediately and unconditionally.
Otherwise, the Saudi Arabian authorities should ensure that he is brought to trial promptly and fairly on recognizable criminal charges and without the possibility of the death penalty.
((( TAKE ACTION:
Call on the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Interior to release Munir al-Jessas. Copy the letter below and paste it into the form on the Feedback Page of the website for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Investigation.)))
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Your Excellency,
I am writing to express my concern at the continuing detention of human rights activist Munir al-Jessas, and to call for your urgent intervention to resolve his case.
Amnesty international believes that Munir al-Jessas may be a prisoner of conscience detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and for his promotion of human rights. If so, he should be released immediately and unconditionally.
Otherwise, he should be released without delay unless he is to be brought to trial promptly and fairly on a recognizable criminal charge, and without recourse to the death penalty.
Since his detention in November 2009, Munir al-Jesas has not been charged with any offence or provided with any opportunity to challenge the legality of or reasons for his detention. We urge you to ensure that Munir al-Jesas is given immediate access to a lawyer of his choice and is afforded the opportunity to challenge his detention.
We are concerned that Munir al-Jessas appears to have been detained because of his peaceful activities for the protection and promotion of human rights in Saudi Arabia and his criticism of alleged discrimination against the Shi’a minority.
We thus urge you to:
•Immediately and unconditionally release Munir al-Jessas if he is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely on account of his legitimate exercise of freedom of expression.
•Otherwise, ensure that he is released without delay unless he is to be charged with a recognizable criminal offence and given a fair trial in accordance with international law and Saudi Arabia’s international treaty obligations.
•Allow Munir al-Jessas immediate access to a lawyer of his choice and the opportunity to challenge the legality of his detention.
Yours sincerely,
Add a personal message to the end of the letter:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/saudi-arabia-must-release-or-charge-activist-critical-authorities
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