Australian national Osama Al-Hasani is associated with an international network of Saudi Arabian opposition groups, according to a prominent Saudi dissident who has come forward to shed light on the possible reason for his arrest last month.
The businessman and former Melbourne imam was arrested on request of the Saudi government at his wife’s home in Tangier, Morocco, on 8 February, just hours after arriving to visit his five-month-old baby.
Saad Al-Fagih is the head of the Movement for Reform in Saudi Arabia (MIRA).
In emails sent to the foreign affairs department, and seen by SBS News, Dr Al-Fagih shared his belief that the detention of Dr Al-Hasani was politically motivated.
Dr Al-Hasani with his wife, Hana, and young child. Source: Supplied
Dr Al-Fagih said he believed he was likely targeted by Saudi authorities due to his knowledge of opposition activities.
“It is true that Osama does not have any public opposition activity, but he has wide relations with most of the Saudi opposition spectrum,” the email read.
“It became clear that the Saudi government discovered his activity almost four years ago.”
The Saudi government had been monitoring Dr Al-Hasani for several years and opposition figures had warned the Australian national against travelling to Morocco, Dr Al-Fagih claimed.
It is understood Dr Al-Hasani had been travelling on his Australian passport, which he felt would protect him.
“We as opposition figures, through our own agents inside the regime, know that he is seen as a dissident, they don’t see him as just an active, successful businessman,” Dr Al-Fagih told SBS News.
The United States designated MIRA, based in the United Kingdom, as an organisation linked to Al-Qaeda in 2005.
But seven years later the group was removed from the United Nations’ Al-Qaeda Sanctions List with the support of both the United Kingdom and Germany. At the time, Dr Al-Faqih said it had been a laborious process to clear his name, .
International lawyers for Dr Al-Hasani have also raised concerns his , urging the special rapporteurs to urgently raise the case with Morrocan authorities.
The submission detailed "credible" reasons to believe Dr Al-Hasani's right to freedom of expression and association were being violated, including that he was forced to leave his job at the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Foreign Trade in 2015 due to political pressure.
Meanwhile, local media have reported he was targeted for his opposition to Wahhabism, the state-sanctioned religion in Saudi Arabia.
"There are concerns that the motivation for Saudi Arabia's request for his extradition might be based on his political expression that has been, in the past, critical of the government and its policies," lawyer Haydee Dijkstal said earlier this month.
"There is a track record of individuals who speak out about topics of activism or opposition to the Saudi government, that they are targeted by the government and if they are detained, their rights are severely violated in detention."
Saudi officials say the extradition order is in response to an alleged car theft three years earlier, for which Dr Al-Hasani was acquitted in a Saudi court.
Despite Dr Al-Hasani’s , the Moroccan court ruled in favour of extradition.
His wife, Hana, has dismissed claims Dr Al-Hasani is a political dissident.
Confusion over location
There is uncertainty over where Dr Al-Hasani is being held, after .
Hana told SBS News on Sunday he had been taken to the Saudi consulate in Rabat, but was unsure whether he had been transferred out of the country.
Meanwhile, his lawyer, Ms Dijkstal, told SBS News on Tuesday it was "concerning" that she had not been notified of his extradition or location.
On Tuesday, Prisoners of Conscience - a Twitter account dedicated to advocating for political prisoners in Saudi Arabia - said Dr Al-Hasani was “in the hands of the Saudi Consulate” in Morocco, where he was being held in solitary confinement.
Dr Al-Hasani with his four-month-old child in Morocco, hours before he was detained. Source: Supplied
If Dr Al-Hasani has been transferred to Saudi Arabia, Dr Al-Fagih said he will “have a hell of a time”.
“They will see him as a treasure of information,” he said.
The London-based dissident also took aim at the Australian authorities for their response immediately after Dr Al-Hasani’s arrest in Tangier.
“They did not do their job properly,” he said. “They never contacted his wife, they never checked if his Australian child is ok ... they never approached his lawyer, the lawyer is chasing them [Australian officials].”
Hana has also expressed disappointment with the Australian government after she sent a letter to .
“I am disappointed by the Moroccans and Australians,” she said on Sunday. “They could have helped him, stopped his deportation and prevented a family from being separated.
“They removed my husband from me and his son, they wronged an innocent person.”
A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson previously told SBS News consular officials had met with Dr Al-Hasani and were “concerned” about his case.
They were also “continuing urgent talks with Morocco and Saudi Arabia” and providing him with consular assistance, the spokesperson said.
It is understood consular assistance may include visits to prison, welfare checks and help with contacting family members but does not include legal advice.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne has been contacted for comment.
