RIYADH, 9 November 2004 — Saudi authorities have arrested Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, one of the lawyers defending three reform activists currently on trial in the Kingdom.
The arrest, which took place on Saturday, follows the sending of a letter by the defendants to Crown Prince Abdullah complaining that the three were not getting a fair trial.
Arab News has received a copy of the original letter sent by the defendants requesting the crown prince’s intervention to ensure a fair trial for them.
Lahem was an outspoken member of the team defending Abdullah Al-Hamed, Ali Al-Demaini and Matruk Al-Faleh, arrested on March 16.
The lawyer had repeatedly criticized judicial practices during the trial, mainly in statements to the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television channel.
The trio, who went on trial in Riyadh on Aug. 9, are charged with “issuing statements and collecting as many signatures as possible on petitions” calling for reforms in the Kingdom.
They are also accused of calling for the adoption of a constitutional monarchy and “using Western terminology” in demanding political reforms.
Meanwhile, Umm Adil, the wife of Deimani, told Arab News that the National Association for Human Rights had not played any role in the case. “They have not done anything whatsoever in the case,” she added.
“Even the committee that cares for the welfare of prisoners and their families have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the case,” Umm Adil added.
“My daughter sometimes asks me about her father and his condition when she sees flyers or billboards in the streets of the committee for the welfare of prisoners and their families,” she said. “It’s been eight months now since his arrest. ... And every month we hope that something new might come out of it.”
“We had hoped that some light might come out of this, especially since it has been publicized in the media, but nothing has happened,” she added.
Umm Adil said that her husband and two other defendants would not settle for anything less than a public court trial. “The charges were made public and so the trial should be public,” she stressed.
She said she would be waiting until after Eid for the relevant government departments handling the case to get a reply to the letter their lawyer has submitted to Crown Prince Abdullah, complaining of injustice and bias in the trail. “Let’s wait and see what happens after Eid,” she said.
The five-page letter accused the committee of judges in charge of the trial of adopting delaying tactics. It also complained of the biased behavior of judges. “What has happened indicates that the committee is not neutral and is partial to the powerful party, which is the state,” the letter said.
The defendants alleged that Judge Saud Al-Othman had forced them to have a closed trial, that he showed signs of anger, and that they do not expect a fair trial from him.
They called for a committee to study their complaints. They also requested a public trial with the attendance of national and international journalists. The three Saudis were arrested on March 10 along with dozens of others. All but the three were released after they signed papers vowing not to sign similar petitions in the future.
