Okaz/Saudi Gazette RIYADH — The criminal court judge trying 32 suspects accused of spying for Iran said he would look into claims by the defendants that they were unable to meet their lawyers in prison. "You can meet with your lawyers inside the court while the sessions are held if you do not want to meet with them in prison," he told the defendants. As many as nine defendants said during court hearings that they could not prepare their replies to the charges against them because they were not allowed to meet their lawyers. The defendants have assigned three lawyers to defend them. The lawyers did not attend the trial since its start in early February. Through the defendants, the lawyers passed to the judge three demands before they will attend the hearings. They said they wanted to be provided with space to park their cars on the court premises, a ban on body search before entering the court and permission to take their mobile phones into the court room. The judge said he cannot meet their demands because he has not jurisdiction over such matters, which is against the court procedures. He asked them instead to relay their demands to the president of the court. The judge told the defendants that he would investigate their claims that they were unable to meet with their lawyers in prison. "If these claims proved to be false and you have been supplying the court with incorrect information, you will face the consequences," he said. The judge, on the other hand, assured the defendants that if their claims were correct, he would take the matter to the prison authorities.
