My father, Ali Maziad, who is now 55 years old, has been living in Saudi Arabia since 2004, where he worked as an engineer. He never faced any troubles with the government, official bodies, neighbours, or colleagues.
He was not interested in the political reality in Saudi Arabia, and neither he nor any other member of the family belonged to any political or religious party. However, we lost contact with him on August 4, 2021.
Recordings showed us that a civilian car carrying seven men in civilian clothes took him from his home in the afternoon, without any prior notice. The only official information we had is that the State Security Presidency had arrested him.
Today, we don't know anything about my father's fate, despite resorting to many official agencies including the Saudi embassy in Lebanon, the Lebanese embassy in Riyadh, the Lebanese government, the Lebanese president, and some members of the Lebanese parliament.
What saddens us as Lebanese citizens the most is the unwillingness of all Lebanese official bodies to engage in my father's case. The current Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, who is in Saudi Arabia today, is one of the most prominent Lebanese political figures who tried to communicate with but this attempt failed. This reminds us of a previous incident of the arrest of Lebanese citizens in the Emirates, where all official Lebanese authorities refused to talk about their case or assist in it.
We also tried to communicate with Interpol and human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and UN specialized bodies, but the result remained unknown. Today, we confirm that our decision to speak publicly about the issue was only after exhausting all non-public channels, and the fear for my father's safety, life, and fate continues to escalate daily.
I am now wondering about the double standards that appear in the practices of the Saudi regime, which hides a person from his family and takes him hostage, depriving him of his right to defend himself, while promoting its achievements in politics, construction, sports, art, and human rights, and trying to appear as a modern state that celebrates diversity.
The repetition of incidents in which Saudi Arabia has detained Lebanese for long periods under mysterious circumstances and without clear charges increases our concerns and fears. This is also compounded by the fact that my father is suffering from health problems such as prostate cancer and diabetes and requires continuous medical care. Our concern is increasing, and our insistence on ensuring his well-being and confirming that he is not subjected to torture or mistreatment is growing.
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*كلمة أحمد مزيد في المؤتمر السنوي الثالث لضحايا الانتهاكات في المملكة العربية السعودية الذي عقد بتاريخ 9و 10 ديسمبر 2022.