Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that “Saudi Hassan Al Rabie, who is being held in Morocco under a Saudi arrest warrant linked to terrorism, faces the risks of deportation to his country, where he fears that he will be subjected to torture and even a death sentence,” according to what the agency quoted. sister.
Al Rabie, 26, was detained on January 14, as he was leaving Rabat towards Turkey, according to a Saudi arrest warrant issued last November.
According to the arrest warrant, seen by Agence France-Presse, the young man is accused of coordinating “with a terrorist to facilitate his exit from Saudi Arabia in an irregular manner.”
According to Agence France-Presse, “Al-Rabee, who belongs to the Shiite minority in Saudi Arabia, hails from the city of Awamiya in the east of the country, which witnessed protests in 2011 and then violent clashes in 2017 between citizens who usually complain about what they see as marginalization of the Shiite minority, and government forces.”
His brother Ahmed, who resides in Canada, stated in a statement to Agence France-Presse that “Hassan has nothing to do with these events,” explaining that the Saudi authorities are looking for their brother Munir, who is hiding from view, “and they want to hold him (Hassan) as a hostage to put pressure on him.” To recognize Munir’s whereabouts,” a human rights activist and outspoken critic of the government.
He stated that his brother was “just a scapegoat,” noting that “I spoke on the phone with Hassan last Tuesday, and he told me, “I am distraught that I am wanted by security,” especially since he left Saudi Arabia legally.
The Saudi authorities had previously arrested Hassan and his two brothers, Hussein and Ali, in February 2021. While they released Hassan and Hussein a day after their arrest, they continued to detain the older brother, Ali, who was sentenced to death in November 2022.
To escape security harassment, Al-Rabee left Saudi Arabia at the end of 2021 and moved between Indonesia, Oman and Ukraine before settling in Morocco in the summer of 2022, according to his brother Ahmed.
Ahmed stated, “I fear for Hassan’s life if he is deported to Saudi Arabia. The regime only deals with execution,” referring in particular to the execution of two of his cousins in a mass execution of 37 people, including 33 Shiites, in April 2019.
In March 2022, Saudi Arabia executed 81 people in one day, many of them belonging to the Shiite minority, for their convictions in terrorism-related cases.
Al-Rabee appeared before the Moroccan Court of First Instance on January 14, before being transferred to Tiflet 2 prison, pending the decision of the Rabat Court of Cassation regarding his extradition, according to what was confirmed by the European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights.
Ahmed Al-Rabee, who holds Canadian citizenship, explained that he had sent appeals to the Canadian Prime Minister and the White House, without receiving any response yet.
