Human Rights Organizations Urge Morocco Not to Extradite Saudi Man

Rabat – Several human rights organizations have urged Morocco’s government not to extradite Saudi national Hassan Muhammad al-Rabea back to his home country.

Al-Rabea, who is from Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority, is allegedly at “serious risk of arbitrary detention, torture, and an unfair trial” in Saudi Arabia, reported international non-profit NGO Human Rights Watch.

Nine human rights organizations, including the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, issued a joint letter urging the Moroccan government to release the Saudi citizen, according to Geneva-based legal advocacy NGO MENA Rights Group.

Hassan Muhammad al-Rabea and logos of the human rights organizations calling for his release

The organizations contend that if Al-Rabea were to be extradited, Morocco would be in breach of its obligations under the 1993-ratified Convention against Torture, which forbids the extradition of suspects to nations where they may be subjected to torture.

The MENA rights group reiterated that Al-Rabea faces a “high risk of torture and that he will probably endure an unfair trial that will result in arbitrary verdicts, corporal punishment, and possibly the death penalty.”

Al-Rabea’s arrest dates back to January 14, 2023, when he was arrested at the Marrakech International Airport while attempting to travel to Turkyie.

According to the MENA rights group, the Saudi national is currently detained in the Tiflet 2 prison pending a decision by the Rabat Court of Cassation on Saudi Arabia’s extradition request.

Al-Rabea was arrested in Morocco after Saudi Arabia’s public prosecution office issued an arrest warrant for him, citing a violation of the 2017 Counter-Terrorism Law on October 12, 2022.

Fear of execution is allegedly Al-Rabea’s main motive for leaving Saudi Arabia. MENA rights group reported that his family has a long history of persecution, with several of his relatives having either been executed or sentenced to death.

In 2021, international rights groups criticized Morocco for extraditing the Australian-Saudi citizen Osama Al-Hasani to Saudi Arabia.

Upon receiving a Saudi Interpol notice, Al-Hasani was arrested by Moroccan authorities in Tangier February 2021 after he came to morocco to join his wife and baby daughter.