No imprisonment or lashing sentence has been issued against activist and lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawy, who is currently being detained by Saudi authorities, the Saudi ambassador to Cairo has said, according to an Egyptian MP.
The ambassador said Gizawy was arrested for other reasons that will be announced Tuesday evening, MP Mostafa al-Naggar said in a Twitter post Tuesday, adding that Saudi authorities will provide details to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
Naggar had gone to the Saudi Embassy in Cairo on Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by MP Amr el-Shobaki and Ghad al-Thawra Party founder Ayman Nour to meet with the Saudi ambassador to solve the issue.
Dozens of political activists organized a protest outside the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Cairo to demand the release of Gizawy, who was detained by Saudi authorities last week on charges of insulting the monarchy.
Others raised their shoes and chanted slogans such as “Down with the Saud family,” “O Saudi ambassador, instead of 20 lashes you will get 100,” and “The revolution can be exported.”
Saudi authorities arrested Gizawy when he arrived in the country to perform the Islamic pilgrimage of Umra. He had been sentenced to 20 lashes in absentia but was not notified of the order before his arrival.
Gizawy had previously filed a lawsuit against King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz that accused him of arbitrary detention and physical abuse of Egyptians there.
A number of Lawyers Syndicate members also joined the protest at the embassy to demand that the Foreign Ministry and the ruling military council intervene and put an end to the problem.
Presidential hopeful and lawyer Khaled Ali called on the military council and the Interior Ministry to work toward immediately releasing Gizawy so he could perform the Umra.
“A court ruling should not have been issued in Saudi Arabia based on the lawsuit filed by a lawyer in Egypt,” Ali said.
He said the sentence would lead to serious consequences that would harm relations between the two countries.
“Saudi Arabia cannot arrest and issue a physical ruling against an American or European,” he said.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
