JEDDAH: A Saudi lawyer who has been restricted from traveling abroad wrote a letter of apology on Sunday to the American Bar Association (ABA) excusing himself from attending a ceremony next month in which he is to receive a human rights award.

Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, 36, has been invited to the event in Vienna, Austria, along with three other international lawyers to receive the ABA’s “International Human Rights Lawyer Award” on July 2-5. However, he is unable to attend due to the ban on traveling and has written to the ABA’s chair Jeffrey B. Golden, excusing himself.

Al-Lahem, a well-known Saudi lawyer and human rights activist, told Arab News yesterday that he has been in contact with Turki Al-Sudairi, president of the Human Rights Commission (HRC), to help him lift the ban.

“On Saturday, Al-Sudairi told me that the HRC has contacted the Interior Ministry which issued the travel restriction in 2004. However, they haven’t received a response so far,” said Al-Lahem.

Zuhair Al-Harithy, spokesman for the HRC, said that the organization has done its part in asking the Interior Ministry to allow Al-Lahem to travel. Al-Harithy said that the HRC explained to Saudi officials that they supported Al-Lahem’s participation in the event, especially since he is not subject of any court verdicts or proceedings.

Although there is less than a week left for the conference, Al-Harithy is optimistic Al-Lahem will be allowed to fly abroad. “The door is not closed yet as we have not received a response... We are still waiting for an answer,” he said.

The ABA award is presented to distinguished human rights lawyers who have suffered as a result of their professional activities. Other recipients this year include Mohammed Ali Dadkhah from Iran, and Hina Jilani and Asma Jahangir from Pakistan.

Al-Lahem told the press last March that the award “values the work of a large group of activists in Saudi society who are defending human rights. I am full of hope that this group will grow larger.”

Al-Lahem is known for taking up high-profile cases. In 2004, he was imprisoned while representing three detained academics and his license to practice law was revoked by a judge last year while defending the “Qatif Girl,” who was sentenced to six months in jail and 200 lashes for being in the company of an unrelated male before being kidnapped and gang-raped.

Al-Lahem was to receive his prize at the World Justice Project (WJP) conference in Vienna. Hundreds of prominent individuals from across the world are expected to attend the conference, including Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former UN commissioner for human rights, and US Supreme Court judges Stephen Breyer and Anthony Kennedy.