Moroccan King Urged to Block Extradition of Saudi Activist Amid Khashoggi Comparisons

In an open letter published on the Twitter account of Prisonners of Conscience, the Moroccan Sovereign was asked to intervene urgently and prevent the Saudi activist from a fate similar to that of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A theologian and Islamic preacher, Al-Hasani, far from being involved in a legal case, would be subject to a purely political procedure.

"Usama Al-Hasani’s life will be in real danger if he is extradited and handed over to the Saudi authorities. Like other political detainees, the activist will be deported to a no-man’s land and disappear forever, if not assassinated, as was the case with Jamal Kashogji," the message reads.

A former teacher at King Abdulaziz University, who has been living in the United Kingdom for several years, Usama Al-Hasani, who also holds Australian nationality, has never joined any anti-regime protest movement, the same source specifies. An upright and very charismatic figure, the preacher enjoys a good reputation.

Although equipped with his Australian passport, Usama Al-Hasani had failed to cross the Moroccan border. Placed in pre-trial detention, the man will have to appear this Wednesday, March 3, before being extradited to Saudi Arabia. The intervention of the Australian embassy was of no help to him.