Parents of Saudis jailed in Lebanon demand release

By Abdullah Al-Qahtani
Okaz/Saudi Gazette
 

ABHA — Parents of a number of Saudis who have been languishing in Lebanese prisons for the past six years in the Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp base are calling on authorities to intervene and secure the release of their sons.
 

Okaz/Saudi Gazette spoke to the father of detainee Ayed Al-Qahtani who left the Kingdom six years ago when he was 22. Al-Qahtani is being held in a Lebanese prison despite surrendering himself through the Saudi embassy in Lebanon. Al-Qahtani’s father said his son was deceived by a group that had an agenda.

“My son and others were subjected to external pressures and were deceived due to their immaturity. My son is a victim and he has been detained in Romia prison in connection with Nahr Al-Bared case for six years without a trial,” he said.

“We have sought help both in the Kingdom and in Lebanon but all doors have been shut in our faces. We only have God and then the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. We are in dire need of help. We hope our sons return home and are given a fair trial here,” Al-Qahtani’s father added.

Nahr Al-Bared is a Palestinian refugee camp home to between 30,000 to 40,000 displaced Palestinian families. In May 2007, the camp became the center of fighting between the Lebanese Army and the militant group Fatah Al-Islam. The clashes resulted in hundreds of deaths including that of 20 Saudis.