Thorne: Govt could have done more to help

The brother of an Australian man jailed in Saudi Arabia on terrorism-related charges says he will continue to fight for his release.

junaid_thorne_mumblurred_130712_2040966331

Junaid Thorne

Junaid Thorne, 23, arrived in Perth earlier today after being himself detained for protesting his brother Shayden's arrest.

In an exclusive interview with NITV News, the Noongar man said his brother had been unfairly treated by Saudi courts and let down by Australian authorities.

'I didn't feel like an Australian...I was expecting a lot more from the Australian Government. The thing is, I know they could have done more than what they actually did,” he said.

'I felt alone.'

Thorne spoke of the shock of seeing his brother arrested.

“Certainly the day of his arrest was one of the most shocking days of my life. To have him abducted in front of you, without the power to interfere. That was really shocking.”

In May, Shayden was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail for extremist material that was found on a laptop in his possession, but maintains his innocence, saying he had borrowed the computer from a masjid, or mosque, in which he was staying.

When his year-long detention was revealed, Foreign Minister Bob Carr insisted the government had done all it could to help.

He raised the case in June with Saudi Arabia's Prince Saud al Faisal, asking the matter to be 'finalised in a timely manner', the West Australian reported.

Lawyer Abdul Jalil Al-Khalidy is working on an appeal for Shayden, which was due by Thursday, but an extension of up to a fortnight has been granted.

"The embassy could not do much, and I had to do stuff by myself with the help of friends. That is what got me personally arrested," Mr Thorne said.

Thorne said he believed he was arrested because of his efforts to free his brother.

"With or without them, we will do what we can to get him out of there. We have filed for a pardon - one way or the other we hope something works," Mr Thorne said.

"I am 100 per cent sure he is innocent of what he was charged with."










Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: SBS, AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world