Dr Abdullah al-Hamid, his brother Issa al-Hamid, Rima al-Jareesh, Manal al-‘Amirni, Badriya al-‘Amirni, Afrah al-Fahidi and her sister Ashwaq al-Fahidi were all arrested on 19 July in connection with a demonstration held on 16 July by five of them and about 15 other women in protest against the prolonged detention without charge or trial of their relatives (Muhammad al-Hamli, Muhammad al-Hamli Khalid al-Sa’wi, ‘Adil al-Khaldi Hani al-Fahidi) as suspected political opponents of the government or “terrorists”. Amnesty International believes that they may have been detained solely for the non-violent expression of their beliefs, and if so, would consider them to be prisoners of conscience.
