The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) welcomes the reports that confirm the reduced sentences in the case of the 10 Egyptian Nubian citizens arrested in Saudi Arabia on 14 July 2020, solely for organising a peaceful symposium to commemorate the Egyptian October war of 1973.

On 02 February 2023, the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC) sentenced them to lengthy prison terms, ranging between 10 and 18 years, based on fabricated charges brought against them include the following: supporting a banned political group (the Muslim Brotherhood), spreading false and malicious rumours on social media, especially Facebook, violating the law by establishing an unlicensed association, and initiating an assembly without a license.

A reliable source informed GCHR that on 06 September 2025, the Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal decided in an e-hearing on a reduction of between 30% to 50% of the sentences against all of the ten detained Nubian citizens, in addition to a reduction to seven years for those sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The online hearing was conducted in a room within the prison that was attended by eight of the 10 detained citizens as both Jamal Abdullah Masri and Abdulsalam Juma Ali did not attend for unknown reasons.

The source confirmed that only the sentence of Mohammed Fathallah Jumaa Shater was halved and reduced from 18 years in prison to nine years.

Also, the sentence against Dr. Farajallah Ahmed Yousif was reduced from 16 years in prison to nine years, while the sentence against Adel Sayed Ibrahim Fakir was reduced from 14 years in prison to eight years.

None of them have been released as suggested by some news reports. They are still kept in the Asir Prison in the city of Abha, the administrative headquarters and capital of the Asir region. They have no visits but are allowed to have calls each two weeks. The location of the prison in the southern region of Saudi Arabia, that is further away from the detainees’ families residing in Riyadh, makes it difficult for them to receive family visits and support.

Of particular concern to GCHR is the poor health of one of the detainees, Dr. Farajallah Ahmed Yousif, 69 years old, the former head of the Nubian community in Riyadh. During his first arrest in October 2019 which lasted two months before being freed, he underwent several medical operations, including the amputation of his foot due to the shackles placed on it, which led to him developing a diabetic foot. No legal action was taken to investigate his claims of torture.

This sudden development of the case is another example of the lack of due process by the Saudi judiciary since the beginning. None of the detainees or their families were aware of the recent amendment to the case until just before the hearing, nor did they know the real reason for it. This confirmed the opinion of observers who emphasised the political nature of the case and the fact that the charges were fabricated.

From the very beginning of the case, the Egyptian government supported the actions of the Saudi authorities. On 29 October 2019, the Egyptian Consulate General in Riyadh released a statement about the case, which did not support their citizens but called on the Egyptian residents in Saudi Arabia to refrain from exercising their human rights. The Nubian association was registered at the Egyptian Consulate in Riyadh since 2004 after being established among the Nubian community as an informal cultural association. The fabricated charges and the lack of support of the Egyptian authorities highlights the nature of the transnational repression of the countries of the region.

Recommendations

GCHR calls on the Saudi authorities to:

1. Release all 10 Egyptian Nubian citizens immediately without any conditions and ensure their access to fair and just compensation for their unlawful and lengthy imprisonment;
2. While in prison, ensure that the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners are being applied;
3. Ensure all claims of torture are properly investigated and all those involved are held accountable; and
4. Protect all guarantees of peaceful associations and assembly according to International Law and standards.