On June 12, 2020, Mr Alex Saab was on a diplomatic mission from Venezuela to Iran to obtain fuel and medical supplies for Venezuela as relief from illegal United States sanctions. He was arrested on 12 June 2020 at Cape Verde airport when his plane stopped for fuelling. The arrest was illegal for many reasons including diplomatic immunity and lack of an Interpol warrant.

His attorneys made several successful applications to the Community Court of Justice, Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS. Mr Saab first obtained his release from solitary confinement and then obtaining his relief voiding the extradition process to the United States and the payment of an indemnity of 200,000 USD for illegal arrest. The latter ruling was based primarily on fundamental irregularities of his arrest without an Interpol warrant. The ECOWAS court is a court of original jurisdiction and not an appeal court.

The African Bar Association adopted a resolution in support of the release of Mr Saab at its 2021 Conference in Niamey, Niger based on the obligation of Cape Verde to respect the Rule of Law and follow the decisions of the Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS.

On 16 October 2021, Mr Saab was extradited to the USA one day prior to the elections in Cape Verde. It was expected that the government which won the election would refuse extradition.

We consider that Mr Saab is the victim of a judicial kidnapping since he was helping Venezuela resist the criminal United States sanctions on his country. He is a political prisoner in the United States of America.