The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) has previously reported on the shocking news of a death sentence issued by the Saudi Specialised Criminal Court (SCC) on 10 July 2023 against retired teacher Mohammed Nasser Al-Ghamdi for social media posts. While welcoming news that the death sentence was overturned in August 2024, GCHR protests the 30-year sentence handed to Al-Ghamdi instead, as well as a recent 15-year sentence issued on appeal against his brother Asaad Nasser Al-Ghamdi, and calls for their release.
Mohammed Nasser Al-Ghamdi’s sentence was based on posts on his social media account on X, in which he expressed concerns over corruption and violations of human rights as well as support for many detained, prominent religious scholars. Al-Ghamdi is the brother of Dr. Nasser Saeed Al-Ghamdi, who is an influential Saudi professor of religious studies. Dr. Al-Ghamdi left Saudi Arabia and started Sanad Human Rights Organisation in the United Kingdom in defense of political and civil rights.
The death sentence against Mohammed Nasser Al-Ghamdi received wide outrage and resentment. Mohammed Nasser Al-Ghamdi’s brother, Dr. Nasser Al-Ghamdi, published an update on the case, stating that the court has repealed the death sentence in August 2024 against his brother and issued a verdict of 30 years’ imprisonment. The court based its decision on the Counterterrorism Law, one of the most vague and catch-all laws that is frequently used to silence any critical expressions.
Mohammed Nasser Al-Ghamdi is a 56-year-old teacher from the Southern City of Abha who was arrested in June 2022. He reportedly suffers from pre-existing conditions of several neurological disorders which require urgent and specialised medical attention. Since his arrest, his health has deteriorated due to medical neglect in detention, which is another frequent complaint by detained activists and prisoners of conscience.
In addition, Dr. Mohammed reported on 03 October 2024 that another brother, Asaad Nasser Al-Ghamdi, was also sentenced to 15 years in prison on appeal, after having originally been sentenced to 20 years in prison on 29 May 2024. Similarly, the sentence was based on posts he published on his social media account on X, that was followed by few people. Among those posts, one was a condolence message about Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamid, who died in prison in April 2020. It’s worth mentioning that, while in prison, Asaad Al-Ghamdi sustained a severe injury that caused a dislocation of his shoulder that required surgery.
Dr. Saeed Nasser Al-Ghamdi believes that the harsh punishment against his two brothers appears to be related to his outspoken stand against the increasingly prevalent human rights violations. This case of collective punishment of dissidents and advocates for reforms is not uncommon. Rather, it is an increasingly-used tactic of repression by the Saudi authorities, especially against advocates in exile.
In 2024, Saudi Arabia has executed 198 individuals, the highest recorded number of executions since 1990. Most of them involved non-violent crimes, such as protests or drug-related offenses. GCHR has been monitoring similar excessive and disproportionate sentencing of Saudi activists and online reform advocates in recent years. They include PhD student and women’s rights activist Salma Al-Shehab and woman human rights activist Noura Al-Qahtani. Al-Shehab received a sentence of 27 years and Al-Qahtani received a sentence of 45 years in the appeals process. This excessive and alarming method of repression is expected to become normalised, if not worse, without any counter measures.
Recommendation
GCHR calls on the Saudi authorities to:
- Immediately drop all charges against Mohammed Nasser Al-Ghamdi and Assad Nasser Al-Ghamdi, and allow them access to urgent and needed medical care.
- End the practice of collective punishment against the families of human rights activists and prisoners of consciousness.
- Ensure that the law is used as a means for justice and fairness, rather than as a means of repression and collective punishment, in accordance with the country’s laws and international commitments.
