A representative from the Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah on Tuesday will attend Saudi investigations of Ahmed al-Gizawy, an Egyptian lawyer detained in the kingdom on charges of drug smuggling.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said its consul general in Saudi Arabia has assigned Yasser al-Olwany, the consulate’s legal adviser, to attend the investigations.
Ahmed Khalaf al-Rashed, a Saudi lawyer, will defend Gizawy in court.
On Monday, Olwany intervened with Saudi authorities to allow Gizawy, who is detained at a drug-fighting authority in Jeddah, to telephone his wife and reassure his family about his condition.
Initial news reports had claimed Gizawy was detained for defaming the Saudi king and had been sentenced to lashing in absentia, which ignited protests in front of the Saudi Embassy in Cairo. The Saudi Embassy recalled its ambassador in response to the clashes.
Saudi authorities said Gizawy was apprehended on charges of drug smuggling, as some of the luggage in his possession was found to contain large quantities of narcotics.
The Saudi ambassador returned to Egypt on Saturday and the embassy resumed its work after an Egyptian parliamentary delegation flew to Saudi Arabia to ease tensions over the Gizawy crisis. Saudi Arabia has pledged to fulfill all previously agreed-on assistance packages.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
