Israel releases Saudi prisoner after 6 years

Israel released a Saudi prisoner after spending nearly six years in detention following his capture in 2005 when he lost his way and entered occupied Palestine, Saudi newspapers said on Tuesday.

Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Atawi, 40, arrived in the United States on November 15 after his release from an Israeli prison following mediation efforts by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, they said.

“His release follows six years of illegal detention and violation of human rights and international norms by Israel,” his lawyer, Katib al Shammari, said.

He said Atawi was tried in 2005 and sentenced to three months in prison but was illegally kept in detention for many years.

“In mid 2010, the Israelis decided to set him free but refused to allow him to return home…instead, they moved him to a remote farm to work under tight security…Atawi had been subjected to inhuman practices by an entity which claims it respects democracy and human rights.”

Newspapers said Atawi was near the Egyptian port of Nuwaibi opposite Aqaba port in Jordan close to the northern Saudi border when he lost his way and crossed into occupied Palestine, where he was seized by the Israelis.

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