Egyptian engineer on death row in Saudi Arabia
Egypt is appealing to the Saudi authorities to reconsider putting an Egyptian engineer to death, sending evidence that he was used to smuggle drugs and did not knowingly commit a crime.
CAIRO — The Egyptian Ministry for Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs revealed Oct. 9 that, upon the instructions of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, it has been in communication with Egypt's Public Prosecutor Hamada al-Sawy about the case of Egyptian engineer Ali Abul-Qasim, sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia.
According to the statement, published by Shourouk newspaper, Sawy confirmed that his office is following the case closely through contacts with the Supreme Court in Riyadh.
Ali Abul-Qasim Abdel Warith had been working as a civil engineer in Saudi Arabia since 2007. The Saudi Anti-Narcotics Department arrested him on charges of smuggling narcotic pills known as Captagon, banned in the kingdom. He allegedly received a shipment of equipment that contained the drugs through Saudi Arabian customs.
Qasim was sentenced to death by three judges, and the verdict was then ratified by five other judges in the Appeals Chamber in October 2017.
