Australian Citizen Osama Al-Hasani Extradited to Saudi Arabia Amid Fears for His Safety

An Australian citizen Osama Al-Hasani has been extradited to Saudi Arabia just days after the Moroccan court approved the transfer request.

An Australian citizen has been extradited to Saudi Arabia just days after the Moroccan court approved the transfer request. Osama Al-Hasani, a former Melbourne imam and consultant in Saudi Arabia, was detained since early February in a Moroccan prison at the request of Saudi Arabian authorities, reported the Guardian. A Saudi Arabia court has sentenced him to two years in prison on a theft charge which he has denied.

The Australian government last week had confirmed that they had been in contact with the Moroccan government after the decision. The Guardian also cited the department of foreign affairs of Australia as saying, “DFAT is providing consular assistance to an Australian man, Osama Alhasani, who was detained in Morocco on 8 February 2021″. DFAT in a statement said that the Australian Government is concerned about the circumstances of Mr Al-Hasani’s detention, his access to the due process of law and his extradition to Saudi Arabia

Osama Al Hasani was arrested on February 8 in the coastal Moroccan city of Tangier where he had arrived to join his wife and newborn son. His wife Hana-al-Hasani on Thursday had told The Guardian that she was permitted to meet her husband on March 12 and later she was told that this may be her last visit to him. She had added that his extradition simply means that he is going to be tortured in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia does not recognize dual nationalities, as it does not allow its citizens to acquire another nationality.

Source: Agencies