The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) welcomes the news that prominent human rights defender, Dr. Mohammed Fahad Al-Qahtani, was able to call his family after two years of forced disappearance. However, we are alarmed at new reports that he is serving an additional 13-year prison sentence handed down in 2024.

His wife and children, who reside in the United States, received his first call on 04 November 2024, but were not informed of any reasons behind his prolonged forced disappearance or the status of his case. His wife Maha Al-Qahtani, was told by the communication prison officer not to discuss Dr. Al-Qahtani’s case in their calls.

Dr. Al-Qahtani is a co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA). On 09 March 2013, the Criminal Court in Riyadh sentenced him to prison on 12 charges including setting up an unlicensed organisation (namely ACPRA), “refusing to submit to the will of the King”, “inciting public disorder” and “communicating with foreign entities.” 

He completed his 10-year sentence and was expected to be released on 22 November 2022. However, in early 2023 he was suddenly retried for terrorism-related charges and blocked, since 24 October of 2022, from contacting his family. The family tried in vain to reach him through the prison authorities or to know his whereabouts for two years with no valid response. The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) in Saudi Arabia has reported that Dr. Al-Qahtani is not banned from communication with his family. However, the family couldn’t reach the NCHR through any of their online complaints link as they were not accessible from outside of the country. The family also sent a letter to the Royal Court to inquire about his whereabouts with no response.

GCHR has previously reported on the multiple violations of Dr. Al-Qahtani’s rights while imprisoned and the several hunger strikes that he, and other political prisoners, had to endure to protest these violations. Before, his two-year disappearance, Dr. Al-Qahtani asked his family to file a complaint on his behalf about the constant harassment of another prisoner to Dr. Al-Qahtani, which they did. Afterwards, his calls and communication with the family were stopped. During his enforced disappearance, his family members in Riyadh also tried to visit him in the prison without success, and their request to hire a lawyer was denied by the presiding judge in the new trial, who insisted on having Dr. Al-Qahtani himself appointing a lawyer.

In addition, the prison authorities informed the family that they can’t visit Dr. Al-Qahtani without a prior appointment obtained through Absher electronic application. However, the name of Dr. Al-Qahtani was not listed in the system so his family couldn’t make the appointment. These tactics are a clear attempt at obstructing Dr. Al-Qahtani from having legal representation or family visits, in addition to the surveillance of the calls so that details of his current legal status remain unknown.

Sources on the ground reported unconfirmed news that Dr. Al-Qahtani was asked in his new trial by the presiding judge to sign an approval accepting the fabricated charges of committing acts of terrorism while imprisoned. He refused to do so, even when the judge threatened him with heavier punishments if he didn’t. GCHR received an alarming report that he has been sentenced, without his presence in the court, to another 13 years of imprisonment, but has not been able to confirm this with official sources.

For all these reasons, GCHR is seriously concerned about the status of Dr. Al-Qahtani, despite the good news that his phone calls with his family have resumed. The family is concerned that he may have health problems as he stopped requesting his medications. Previously, he reported that he was denied needed medical care, and one of his colleagues, Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamed, died in prison because of delayed emergency care.

Recommendations

GCHR urges the Saudi authorities to:

1. End the arbitrary detention and sham trials of Dr. Al-Qahtani and release him unconditionally so he can travel and reunite with his family in the US;
2. Allow Dr. Al-Qahtani access to visitation, legal representation, proper medical care, and due process;
3. Restore the rule of law and access to justice for the people in Saudi Arabia, in accordance with the state’s commitments and regulations; and
4. Ensure that civil and political rights of the Saudi people are protected and end the practice of perpetual imprisonment of activists in repeated sham trials.