A British couple detained in Saudi Arabia for possession of alcohol are still in jail more than a month after their arrest waiting to discover their fate, an embassy official said Saturday.
Ann and Peter Goldsmith, both expatriate Saudi residents, were arrested in Riyadh on October 11 and detained in separate prisons, in line with Saudi segregation of the sexes.
The pair risk a flogging under the sharia laws of Islam practiced in the conservative Muslim kingdom where alcohol is strictly forbidden.
"They are still in custody," the official told AFP. "We continue to urge the authorities to expedite the investigation and continue to ask if she could be released on medical grounds."
Details of Ann Goldsmith's health problems have not been released.
Saudi officials have declined to comment on the case but a source told AFP at the end of October that "the legal procedures will be followed," signaling the affair was likely to be lengthy – RIYADH (AFP)
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