Wrongfully detained?

Will King Fahd accept a plea for clemency?

In a Hardtalk interview on 15 July Tim Sebastian speaks to Margaret Dunn and Yvonne Wardle about their campaign to free their relatives, who they believe have been wrongfully detained, from Saudi prisons.

Click here to watch the full interview

The case of six Britons and a Belgian, imprisoned in Saudi Arabia over a bombing campaign in which several Westerners have died, remains a murky one.

I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy

Margaret Dunn

The Saudi authorities allege the bombs were planted as part of a feud between rival gangs dealing in illicit alcohol.

But the families and even some of the victims, say that the facts do not add up and that Saudi Arabia has been using the men as scapegoats to explain away terror attacks on foreign nationals.

Worst nightmare

Margaret Dunn says that it is "worse than the worst nightmare... I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."

Her brother, Sandy Mitchell, was a chief anaesthetics technician working in Saudi Arabia until he was arrested for a series of bombings in the Kingdom in 2000.

He has since been sentenced to death.

Yvonne Wardle's father, Les Walker, was a businessman who worked in Saudi Arabia for over 20 years.

Both women were appalled to see their relatives "confessing" to the bombings on television.

He received a prison sentence but both men have since retracted their confessions.

Yvonne Wardle is disappointed with the outcome of her meeting with Jack Straw.

The Foreign Office has been working to free the men but believe that it is essential to do this via quiet diplomatic channels:

"The men and most of the families have asked us not to discuss the details with the press. We must respect that. We remain deeply concerned about the men's situation. The majority of the men's family and their lawyers continue to believe that it is not in the best interest of the men to raise their profiles publicly."

Let down

However, both women say they feel let down by the Foreign Office.

They had a ten minute meeting with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in February, 2003.

They did not get the results they had hoped for: "I came away feeling empty", says Yvonne Wardle.

But it is the men's health which has driven them to openly campaign to have their relations released - against the advice of the Foreign Office.

Yvonne Wardle explains, "I never thought I'd be fighting not only the Saudis but the Foreign Office."

The men and their families are hoping that a recent plea for clemency will be accepted by King Fahd.

Saudi sources say the plea has been received "favourably"

HARDtalk can be seen on BBC World at 03:30 GMT, 08:30 GMT, 11:30 GMT, 5:30 GMT, 18:30 GMT and 23:30 GMT.

It can also be seen on BBC News 24 at 03:30 GMT and 22:30 GMT