DENVER (CBS4) 53; President Bush heard a request to release a man in a Colorado prison during his visit to Saudi Arabia. Homaidan Al-Turki is behind bars awaiting the outcome of an appeal. A court convicted him in 2006 of sexually assaulting and enslaving his Indonesian maid in his Aurora home.
Saudi newspapers reported no less than the King Abdullah and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia were to bring up the case with President Bush as they met this week in Riyadh.
When the president arrived in Saudi Arabia, his hosts there had a number of issues waiting to be discussed. According to the Saudi newspaper Gulf News, on the same list as Middle East peace and bilateral relations was the case of Al-Turki.
Al-Turki is a Saudi University of Colorado PHD student.
Another Saudi paper this week wrote the country's National Society for Human Rights has asked President Bush for release of the Saudi detainees in Guantanamo and Al-Turki.
Al-Turki is serving a 20 years to life sentence in prison. He had told CBS4 he felt he was being persecuted because of his religion.
"I am a Saudi," Al-Turki said. "I am a Muslim and I think that's an attraction to law enforcement itself."
Last year, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers flew to Saudi Arabia to meet with members of the Royal Family at the request of the U.S. State Department.
"I wasn't there to apologize," Suthers said. "I wasn't there to defend, so much as to straighten out."
Suthers explained Al-Turki chose not to testify on his own behalf and has the right to an appeal.
Arapahoe District Attorney Carol Chambers told CBS4 Al-Turki was convicted by a jury of citizens from Arapahoe County and does not believe he should be pardoned.
Al-Turki is currently being held at the Limon Correctional Facility.
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