Qatari student’s health deteriorating in Saudi jail: Rights group

A human rights group has expressed serious concern about the health condition of a Qatari student held at a detention facility in Saudi Arabia, stating that it is deteriorating because of the jailers' maltreatment and medical negligence.

The National Human Rights Committee of Qatar condemned the arbitrary detention of Qatari national Abdul Aziz Saeed Abdullah on Twitter Wednesday, stating that the imprisonment is in flagrant violation of all international regulations and conventions.

It then held Saudi authorities fully responsible for the life of the Qatari student, his health and safety, calling for his immediate release.

Abdullah has disappeared since July 6, 2018, before Saudi officials announced his whereabouts last May to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID).

He was studying at the College of Shariah and Islamic Studies in Umm al-Qura University of Saudi Arabia’s western city of Mecca. He was about to graduate in the autumn of 2018.

The family of the detained Qatari national have been trying to communicate with Saudi authorities to check on the safety of their son and to appoint a lawyer.

Their efforts, however, have failed as Saudi officials refrain from giving any information about the reasons behind his detention and the place where he is being held captive.

AFD International, in a statement released on November 5, 2018, condemned the arrest of Qatari citizens by Saudi authorities without giving any information about the circumstances of their arrest and charges against them.

The statement highlighted that such a practice means that Saudi authorities blatantly violate fundamental human rights, the right to freedom and personal security.

Saudi authorities are reportedly holding four Qatari nationals in their prisons.

SS