The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) expresses serious concern over the recent news of the sentencing of Saudi cartoonist Mohammed Al-Hazzaa Al-Ghamdi to 23 years in prison without appeal by the Saudi authorities, after several years of sham trials without due process.
The cartoonist, who goes by the name Al-Hazzaa, has contributed some cartoons for the Qatari newspaper “Lusail” that depicted humorous mockery of various social and economic situations in Saudi Arabia. He also published his cartoons on his Instagram account and was featured in one of the Saudi-sponsored TV programs to showcase his work. His collaboration with the Qatari newspaper lasted after Saudi Arabia and several Arab states severed ties with Qatar. By then, he hoped that the rift would be resolved soon, and one year later, he stopped contributing to the Qatari publication when the rift continued.
Al-Hazzaa was placed under surveillance by an undercover informant before his arrest in February 2018 in his hometown of Al-Baha in Saudi Arabia. Security forces, led by the same informant, raided his home and confiscated his belonging and ransacked his studio without legal warrant. He remained imprisoned until the Specialised Criminal Court issued his first sentence of six years in prison in July 2021. However, he was not released at the end of his sentence but the case against him was reopened in December 2023, and sometime in 2024 he was sentenced to 23 years in prison without appeal.
The Prosecution brought several charges against Al-Hazzaa, including sympathising with Qatar as an enemy state and in contradiction to the Saudi state’s policy by drawing 100 cartoons, and stating on the X social media platform that Qatar does not deserve the blockade. In addition, he was charged with communication with hostile entities to Saudi Arabia, including “Lusail” newspaper, following prominent Arab figures and dissidents’ accounts on X, supporting “terrorist ideas” in his posts on X, and offending the Saudi government by his cartoons.
In his own defense, Al-Hazzaa explained that he used to work for “Lusail” newspaper before the blockade started and only remained working for a short while afterwards. He denied intending any offense to the Saudi state by his cartoons and said that most of the cartoons are related to Qatari affairs rather than the Saudi ones. He also stated that some of the cartoons are not his own but planted as evidence by the Public Prosecution against him. He also denied showing any sympathy for Qatar or posting a tweet on his account that was used as evidence, which may suggest that the post was also fabricated against him.
He demanded the Public Prosecution to present any real evidence that proves his cartoons represent offenses to the Saudi state, and any legal document that prohibits following social media accounts or communicating with Qatari citizens. He also defended his work with the Qatari newspaper as something that took place prior to the imposition of the blockade. The Public Prosecution failed to provide any evidence to support the charges against Al-Hazzaa and the judge even stated that the prosecution did not present any evidence to the charges. Nevertheless, he was sentenced based on the charge of offending the rulers of the country.
Al-Hazzaa has been subjected to various serious violations during his detention to obtain coerced confessions. He was initially detained without any communication with his family for months and endured degrading treatment. His family, including his pregnant wife and five children, has also endured psychological trauma because of the violent security raid on his home. One of his children suffered a severe nervous breakdown after the raid. Al-Hazzaa has also suffered from deteriorating health due to medical neglect in prison in addressing his pre-existing conditions of diabetes, neurological issues and a back problem. The medical neglect was so serious that he needed later to be hospitalised for days, and he continues to suffer from medical neglect. Al-Hazzaa remains detained at Dahban prison in Jeddah city.
While lengthy imprisonment for any expression of opinions, no matter how mild, is nothing new in the last years in Saudi Arabia, it is highly concerning. GCHR has reported on the recent trend of lengthy and lifetime imprisonment against critics and dissidents in Saudi Arabia and warned repeatedly against normalising such blatant disregard for justice and due process.
Recommendations
GCHR calls on the Saudi authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release Mohammed Al-Hazzaa and allow him to pursue his career as a cartoonist without retribution;
- Ensure that artists and writers can pursue their careers in reporting and depicting public opinions to enlighten policy making and the public without retribution; and
- Reform the legal system and the state security to ensure access to justice and fair trials in accordance with the state local and international commitments.
