Lawyers for Liberty has obtained photographs that affirmatively showed Hamza Kashgari was actually in the country for a couple of days before his arrest on 9 February 2012 (please see the attached photos).

The Home Minister and the police had continuously maintained that Hamza was arrested upon his arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on 9 February when in fact he was stopped by the immigration at the KLIA departure hall while trying to board a plane to Auckland, New Zealand after having arrived in Malaysia on 7 February.

For example, PDRM spokesman Ramli Yoosuf was widely reported as stating that Hamza was taken into custody after flying into Malaysia’s international airport: “Kashgari was detained at the airport upon arrival following a request made to us by Interpol after the Saudi authorities applied for it,” [AFP: 9 February 2012].

These photographic proof reaffirmed what Lawyers for Liberty has maintained all along – that the Home Minister and police had bent over backwards to please the Saudi Arabian government and had resorted to lies and deception in order to save the embarrassment that they had allowed Hamza to enter Malaysia and to further justify Hamza’s unlawful detention and deportation which violated domestic and international law.

Lawyers for Liberty was informed by Hamza’s lawyer in Saudi Arabia that Hamza was brought to the criminal court on 7 March where his “repentance” was recorded. However he remains in solitary confinement at al-Hair Prison and he has yet to have access to his lawyer. There is still no indication from the Saudi authorities whether Hamza will be released or how long he will be detained.

Lawyers for Liberty

22 March 2012