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Saudi court sentences Egyptian lawyer to 5 years in jail, 300 lashes
[Al Ahram] A Saudi court has sentenced Ahmed El-Gizawy, an Egyptian lawyer, to five years in jail and 300 lashes, according to Al-Ahram's Arabic website.

El-Gizawy was detained by Saudi authorities in April 2012 as he entered the kingdom to perform Umrah, a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, for allegedly smuggling drugs into Saudi Arabia.

Egyptian activists say the charges were trumped up by the Saudis after his public criticisms of human rights violations in the Gulf kingdom.

His arrest sparked outrage in Egypt when hundreds of protesters took to the Saudi embassy in Cairo, prompting its brief closure and a decision by Saudi authorities to temporarily recall its ambassador that April.

The incident was said to have strained relations between the long-time allies according to a number of political experts.

Posted by: Fred 2013-01-16
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=360179