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Journalism of Courage
Saudi Arabia closed its Cairo embassy Saturday and recalled its ambassador following protests over a detained Egyptian human rights lawyer.
The unexpected escalation followed days of protests by hundreds of Egyptians outside the Saudi Embassy in Cairo and consulates in other cities to demand the release of Ahmed el-Gezawi. Relatives and human rights groups say he was detained for allegedly insulting the Saudi monarch.
Saudi authorities denied that and said he was held for trying to smuggle anti-anxiety drugs into the kingdom.
Egypts military ruler,Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi,was in touch with the Saudis to heal the rift following the sudden decision, the Egyptian official news agency said.
El-Gezawis case has revived long-standing resentment over the treatment of Egyptians working in Saudi,which is a destination for more than a million Egyptians searching for better jobs.
The lawyer flew to Jeddah on his way to perform a minor pilgrimage,called umrah,to Islams holy shrines in the Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina,said his sister Shereen el-Gezawi. The fact that he was arrested on his way to perform a religious rite further enflamed sentiments.
His family said he had been convicted in absentia and sentenced to a year in prison and 20 lashes by a Saudi court for insulting the king. However he was not notified of the courts ruling ahead of his Saudi trip.
