E/CN.4/2006/5/Add.1 Page 71 327. The Special Rapporteurs brought to the attention of the Government information they had received concerning the arrest of 40 Pakistani Christians during a meeting for worship in Badeea district, the arrest of three Egyptian Christians and a raid of a house church in Al-Olaya district, all in Riyahd. 328. On 22 April 2005, 40 workers from Pakistan, resident in Saudi Arabia, were arrested by officials from the independent body ensuring the conformity with religious norms under the religious authorities (muttawa) while meeting for joint Catholic Protestant prayer. Several muttawa surrounded the house, beat some of the worshippers, destroyed Christian symbols and confiscated bibles, tapes and other Christian materials. All persons present, including minors, were detained at the Dera police station and later released. The police refused to return the labor cards that foreigners need in order to be able to stay in Saudi Arabia. 329. On 24 April 2005, the Saudi Police arrested three Egyptian citizens residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nabil Nassif Youssef, 35 years, Hani Nassif Youssef, 30 years, Youssef Nassif Youssef, 25 yea rs, in Riyadh. They were accused of preaching Christianity because bibles were found in their possession. They were held incommunicado. It was unclear whether charges had been brought against them. 330. On 29 April 2005, muttawa, together with several high-ranking sheiks, broke up a private worship service of 60 Ethiopian and Eritrean Christians in Al-Olaya district. They arrested five of them (Yemane Gebre Loul and Gazai Zarom from Eritrea and Msfen Tekle, Yonas Tekle, and Teklu Mola from Ethiopia) who were transferred to prison facilities of the Ministry of Interior, where they were still held at the time of the communication. Police also confiscated the worshippers’ bibles. Urgent appeal sent on 29 November 2005 with the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteur on torture and the Special Rapporteur on the right to education 331. The Special Rapporteurs brought to the attention of the Government information they had received according to which, on 12 November 2005, a Court in Bukairia permanently banned Mr. Muhammad al-Harbi, a high school chemistry teacher in Qassim Province, from teaching and sentenced him to 40 months imprisonment and to a public flogging of 750 lashes after he was found guilty of blasphemy (15 lashes per week at the public market in the town of Al-Bikeriya in AlQassim). The sentence against him was based on complaints from students and their parents, as well as a number of his colleagues who teach religious studies of the Muslim faith at his school. They claimed that Mr. Al-Harbi had mocked Islam and had attempted to sow doubt in the students’ creed by sharing his opinion with them on various topics including Christianity, Judaism and the causes of terrorism. He had moreover encouraged his students to engage in critical thinking in resolving apparent differences of meaning between the Koran and the words and deeds of the prophet Muhammad. Mr. Al-Harbi was not allowed to attend the trial against him and his lawyer was not recognised by the Court. Mr. Al-Harbi is appealing the decision.