JEDDAH, 22 February 2006 — The lawyer of four of the nine Saudi defendants accused in the infamous Al-Nahda Tunnel sexual harassment case said yesterday that he intends to appeal the Riyadh court’s decision finding his clients guilty.
Saad ibn Zuair told Arab News in a phone call that the court issued the legal deed at the end of last week. Thus, he has the right to appeal at the court within 30 days.
Nine Saudis and two Palestinians were sentenced on Jan. 30 to between four months and 12 years in prison and 300 to 600 lashes. The defendants are accused of involvement in a widely publicized sexual harassment crime against two teenage girls that occurred in October in a pedestrian tunnel in Riyadh.
Zuair had three defendants at the time of the trial but he has since taken on an additional client in the case. One of Zuair’s defendants is sentenced to 10 years in prison. Two other defendants are sentenced to six years and the fourth one is sentenced to seven years in prison.
One of the perpetrators took footage of the harassment, which later found its way to the Internet and was distributed by wireless communications. It was this footage that alerted people to the crime.
Zuair said that the judge in the case did not view the footage that the lawyer says would help exonerate his clients. He said he hopes the evidence would be introduced in the appeal.
