Saudi Court rejects defendants' plea to evict journalists 

(MENAFN - Arab News) A special criminal court in Riyadh continued yesterday the trial of 66 Saudis and a Jordanian accused of being members of the Fahd Al-Kuwair terrorist cell.

This group had been accused of blowing up the Baqeeq oil refinery. So far 18 defendants have appeared before the court, which began its hearings on Sunday. Six of the accused appeared before the court yesterday.

The judges adjourned the session for 15 minutes after one of the defendants asked them to reveal the names of reporters who were present and to send them out of the court.

The panel of three judges tried to make him understand that the session was open and that he could sue any journalist and his newspaper for defamation.

When two other defendants joined the accused in asking the judges to throw out the journalists, the judges briefly retired for consultation among themselves. After deliberations, they told the accused their request was not legally acceptable.

The presiding judge told the defendants that the presence of the media was to relay exactly what was going on inside the court and not to fabricate stories. The defendants refused to accept this logic and accused journalists who covered trials of terrorists of not being honest enough. "The press has a black history throughout its coverage of the trials," the defendant said, claiming that he could bring to the court neutral and honest journalists.

Defendant Nos. 19 to 24 and Defendant No. 29 were present at the session. The charges against them included joining a terrorist cell in the Kingdom, being affiliated to Al-Qaeda, carrying out terrorist acts, covering for each other, financing terrorist operations, adopting deviant thoughts and disobeying rules.

Defendant Nos. 19 and 22 shared the same accusations, which were harboring wanted terrorist Younis Al-Hayari and his family, providing them with transport, acquiring arms and recruiting terrorists.

Defendant No. 20 was accused of communicating with terrorists and not informing the authorities about them despite knowing they were wanted by the authorities.

Defendant No. 23 was charged with providing Fahd Al-Juwair with the telephone numbers of a number of security officers and showing him where they lived. He was also accused of passing on classified information to one of the terrorists, taking advantage of his job as a security man.

Defendant No. 24 was accused of purchasing cars for terrorists, receiving money for this purpose, traveling to an Arab country to establish a terrorist cell there and coordinating the travel of terrorists abroad.

Defendant No. 29 was accused of organizing the escape of a number of terrorists from one of the prisons, receiving SR50,000 to buy cars for the terrorists and acquiring arms.

Yesterday the court also considered the replies of six defendants who were known as members of the "French Killers Cell." The judge asked them if their admissions had been taken from them by force.

The lawyer of one of the accused asked the court to hold responsible 26 Muslim scholars, whose names were already published, for sending these men for jihad to Iraq.

The French Killers Cell comprised 14 terrorists.