On 12 February 2012, human rights defender Mr Hamza Kashgari was deported from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia where he risks facing the death penalty as a result of comments he made on the social media site Twitter.

Hamza Kashgari is a journalist and blogger and an advocate of freedom of expression and freedom of thought in Saudi Arabia. Front Line Defenders' issued an urgent appeal on 10 February 2012 calling on the authorities in Malaysia not to deport him (http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/17355).

On 12 February 2012, Hamza Kashgari was deported back from Kuala Lumpur to Saudi Arabia where he risks being sentenced to death on charges of “ apostasy”. He had been immediately detained when he arrived at Kuala Lumpur on 9 February 2012. Despite there being no formal extradition treaty between the two countries the Malaysian authorities sanctioned his deportation and the Home Ministry in Malaysia issued a statement saying “ The nature of the charges against the individual in this case are a matter for the Saudi Arabian authorities".

On 8 February 2012, Hamza Kashgari left Saudi Arabia following death threats and calls by clerics and scholars for him to be tried for insulting the Prophet Mohammed as a result of comments he had made on the social media site Twitter. Since he posted the comments Hamza Kashgari has been subjected to a relentless smear campaign by the media, politicians, clerics and scholars. His Saudi nationality has been brought into question as part of this attempt to discredit and stigmatise him. The Information Minister of Saudi Arabia banned his publications and a prominent cleric Nasser al-Omar, called for him to be tried in a Sharia court for apostasy. Other leading clerics and scholars condemned his comments and demanded that he be put on trial.

Shortly after posting the comments on Twitter the human rights defender retracted what he had said and published an apology. He also asked publicly for forgiveness. Despite this, he risks being tried before a Shari'a court on charges of “apostasy” and sentenced to death.

Front Line Defenders believe that the smear campaign against him may seriously jeopardise his right to a fair trial. Front Line Defenders is seriously concerned for the physical and psychological integrity and security of Hamza Kashgari and believes that he is being detained solely as a result of his legitimate human rights work and the exercise of his right to freedom of expression.