• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: JAILED EGYPTIAN PHYSICIAN MUST BE RELEASED (Saudi Arabia: UA 71.23)

July 25, 2023

On May 23, the Supreme Court in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, upheld the 10-year prison sentence of Egyptian national and physician Dr. Sabri Shalaby. The Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) sentenced him to 10 years in prison on trumped up terrorism-related charges following a grossly unfair trial. He was held in solitary confinement for the first ten months of his detention and in incommunicado detention for three months during this period. Amnesty International urges the Saudi Arabian authorities to release Dr. Sabri Shalaby immediately. Pending his release, he must be granted immediate access to adequate medical care.

TAKE ACTION:

  1. Please take action as-soon-as possible. This Urgent Action expires on September 15, 2023.
  2. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
  3. Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 71.23. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

CONTACT INFORMATION

King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Phone: +966 111 488 2222
Fax: +961 11 403 3125 (please keep trying)
Twitter: @KingSalman
Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Main Number: (202) 342-3800

SAMPLE LETTER

Your Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,

I am writing to express concern about the ongoing arbitrary detention of Dr. Sabri Shalaby, an Egyptian national and physician, who is serving a 10-year prison term on trumped up terrorism charges. In August 2022, the Specialized Criminal Court convicted Dr. Shalaby following a grossly unfair trial. The Supreme Court in Riyadh upheld the prison sentence of Dr. Shalaby on May 23, 2023, meaning that he has exhausted all his legal remedies.

According to information available to Amnesty International, Dr. Shalaby was convicted under the counter-terror law for supporting and joining the Muslim Brotherhood, which is classified as a terrorist organization in Saudi Arabia. Amnesty International found no evidence supporting these charges. Dr. Shalaby said that he was detained in solitary confinement for ten months prior to his trial beginning. Throughout this period, he was detained incommunicado for three months. He was also denied legal representation from the moment of his arrest until his first trial session. The Saudi Arabian authorities have not launched an investigation into his alleged ill-treatment or denial of due process rights.

Furthermore, Dr. Shalaby has on numerous occasions asked the prison administration to see a neurologist to follow up on health complications arising from an old spinal cord surgery he had undergone. His request continues to be denied. He also has asthma and cataracts due to other underlying health conditions for which he has not received adequate care.

I call on Your Majesty to ensure that Dr. Sabri Shalaby is released immediately, and that his conviction and sentence are quashed. Pending his release, we urge you to grant Dr. Sabri Shalaby the adequate medical care he requires.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES