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| Hamza Kashgari |
Saudi Arabian national Hamza Kashgari risks being charged of apostasy, punishable by death, for remarks he posted on Twitter. He was forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia on 12 February from Malaysia, after he had left the country amid death threats for the posts. He is now in detention in Saudi Arabia.
Hamza Kashgari was arrested in Malaysia on 9 February 2012 and was held in an unknown location without being granted access to a lawyer. Since his forcible return to Saudi Arabia, he has been held in a detention facility at the Ministry of Interior in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. He has been allowed contact with his family.
It was reported that shortly after Hamza Kashgari's arrival in Saudi Arabia, a state prosecutor from Jeddah, Hamza Kashgari's hometown, had requested permission from the head of Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution to file a case against Hamza Kashgari. He also called for others who have replied in encouragement or agreement to Hamza Kashgari’s Twitter remarks to be prosecuted.
Amnesty International considers Hamza Kashgari to be a prisoner of conscience arrested solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression, and that his arrest, detention and possible prosecution as well as that of others who responded are incompatible with basic human rights enshrined in international conventions.
Please write immediately in Arabic, English or your own language:
- Urging the King of Saudi Arabia to revoke the order to arrest Hamza Kashgari and ensure he is released immediately and unconditionally and any prosecution procedure dropped;
- Granting him immediate access to a lawyer of his choosing and the right to be assisted by his lawyer including during his questioning.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 26 MARCH 2012 TO:
King
His Majesty King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Salutation: Your Majesty
Crown Prince and Minister of the Interior
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Ministry of the Interior, P.O. Box 2933
Airport Road
Riyadh 11134
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 403 3125 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
And copies to:
Minister of Culture and Information
His Excellency Dr Abdulaziz Bin Muhiyuddin Khoja
Ministry of Culture and Information
Nasseriya Street
Riyadh 11161
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 402 3570 -OR- 011 966 1 402 405 0674
Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 1 202 944 5983
Please check with AIUSA Urgent Action Office is sending appeals after the above date.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Hamza Kashgari left Saudi Arabia on 6 February amid death threats after some clerics accused him of apostasy following statements he posted on Twitter which they deemed to be insulting towards the Prophet Mohammed. A day after he left the country, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud ordered the Ministry of Interior to arrest Hamza Kashgari and hold him accountable for the statements he made. The Malaysian authorities, who did not charge Hamza Kashgari with any recognizable criminal offence, arrested him on 9 February when he went to the airport to fly to New Zealand. They handed him over to the Saudi Arabian authorities in spite of calls from local and international organizations not to forcibly return him to Saudi Arabia.
In Saudi Arabia, the death penalty is applied for a wide range of offences including for apostasy and sorcery. The criminalization of apostasy is incompatible with the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as set out in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although the crime of "sorcery" is not defined it has been used to punish people for the legitimate exercise of their human rights, including the rights to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, belief and expression. In 2011, two people were executed for sorcery.
Amnesty International has documented cases in Saudi Arabia where people whose comments were deemed contrary to Islam have at times been considered to be tantamount to being an apostate and as such sentenced to death.
Court proceedings in Saudi Arabia fall far short of international standards for fair trial. Defendants are rarely allowed formal representation by a lawyer, and in many cases are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception.
Name(s): Hamza Kashgari (m)
Issue(s): Incommunicado detention, Prisoner of conscience, Forcible return
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
Online petitions can be signed here and here
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The New York-based Human Rights Watch said Hamza Kashgari, 23, a Jeddah-based newspaper columnist, would face almost certain conviction and a death sentence for apostasy if he is sent back to Saudi Arabia.
