Amnesty International has once again called Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz to secure the release of former Hamas official Dr Muhammad Al-Khodari from prison.
In a series of tweets in Arabic, Amnesty called for the Saudi King to “immediately” release 81-year-old Al-Khodari and his son Hani “without a restriction or a condition”, noting they “have been detained for more than a year in Saudi Arabia.”
The rights group added: “During their detention, Dr Muhammad al-Khodari and his son Hani al-Khodari were subjected to grave violations of their human rights, including forced disappearance, arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention.”
It pointed out that both the “two men, Al-Khodari and his son, have not had any legal representation since their arrest.”
الدكتور محمد الخضري عرضة لخطر كبير بسبب #فيروس كوفيد_19 ويتطلب رعاية طبية وعلاج من #السرطان. ندعو الملك سلمان إلى ضمان الإفراج عن الدكتور محمد ونجله هاني فوراً من دون قيد أو شرط #السعودية @KingSalman pic.twitter.com/QcwwS0LH0H
— منظمة العفو الدولية (@AmnestyAR) October 5, 2020
Amnesty said that the two were scheduled to be brought before the Specialised Criminal Court, Saudi Arabia’s counter-terror court, yesterday, noting that “they have no legal representation”.
It also expressed concerns about the life of Al-Khodari, who “requires adequate medical attention and treatment for cancer” and said that he is at risk of contracting COVID-19 in prisons.
READ: Saudi Arabia continues to conceal its human rights abuses
Al-Khodari has been living in Jeddah for nearly three decades, and was responsible for managing Hamas’ relationship with the kingdom for two decades.
Amnesty International said that Al-Khodari appeared before the court with his son on 8 March as part of a mass trial of 68 people, and added that he is facing charges of “joining a terrorist entity” and “establishing institutions within the kingdom to finance Hamas”.