DAMMAM – A lawyer representing three Saudis on death row in Iraq said his office will hold the Iraqi authorities responsible if any of his clients were harmed in an explosion at a ward in Al-Rassafa prison. Thamer Al-Blaihid of Al-Jerais Law Office confirmed to Al-Yaum Arabic daily that he has lost contacts with Faisal Al-Faraj, Shady Al-Saedi and Badr Owfan Al-Shammari since Wednesday when the explosion took place. He demanded that the Iraqi government reassure him of the detainees' safety and allow their families to contact them by telephone. “Al-Rassafah prison's proximity to the Ministry of Interior indicates the seriousness of the situation and the lack of protection for the detainees,” he said, underlining the need for shifting the prisoners to a safer place to protect their lives. As for the repatriation of Saudi detainees who have served their prison terms in Iraq, Al-Blaihid said, “Muhammad Hamdan Al-Ammari, who is now in his late 30s, has been released after serving his 15-year jail sentence.” Al-Ammari, who was scheduled to arrive in the Kingdom on Friday, was arrested when he was 22 years old for illegally crossing into the country. His release will be followed by that of 20 other Saudi prisoners under a 2008 pardon from the Iraqi government, which had benefited detainees from Kuwait, Libya and Yemen. Their cases are classified as civil cases, which carry a maximum of six months' imprisonment. However, the Saudis were handed down life imprisonment and the death penalty. Meanwhile, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior admitted that Saudi detainee Muhammad Abdullah Al-Huwaiti had been held inside the Ministry of Interior building by the Iraqi intelligence agency. The admission comes after six years of denial about his detention in Iraq. He was transferred to Al-Taji Prison recently to stand trial.
