The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) welcomes the news of the release of several human rights defenders and political prisoners in Saudi Arabia after completing their lengthy sentences of imprisonment, and urges authorities in Saudi Arabia to immediately release all prisoners of conscience in the country.
The names of those released included several Saudi figures who were actively and publicly debating public affairs and enjoyed a wide support from the Saudi audience. Their arrests came in one of the mass crackdown campaigns in September 2017 by the Saudi authorities against prominent writers, bloggers, and social media influencers. This first wave of mass arrests came shortly after the appointment of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman as the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Most of those arrested were reportedly subjected to torture and ill treatment, violation of due process, and were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment after years in detention. Some of them were released later.
Among those prominent names who have been released are Abdullah Al-Malki, Fahad Al-Sunaidi, and Jameel Farsi. Al-Maliki, an advocate for democratic reforms, was released in the summer of 2024 after serving seven years in prison on spurious charges. Similarly, Al-Sunaidi, a television host, was sentenced in September 2020 on spurious charges, such as supporting the Arab revolution or calling for the release of some of the imprisoned political prisoners. Al-Sunaidi was released in February 2022 after serving three and a half years in prison. Farsi, a journalist, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2020 for criticizing the state’s financial policy regarding Aramco. He was reportedly released in the summer of 2024 as well. His social media account is no longer available.
Al-Maliki was one of the most notable advocates for public representation and political rights. His books and public speeches called for ensuring political and civil rights without any religious constraints or limitations. His book “The protection of a nation’s rights precedes religious domination” received applause among reforms advocates. Al-Maliki advocated for justice for those arbitrarily detained and unlawfully sentenced for opinions or for aspirations for rights and freedoms. He was one of the moderate and intellectual voices advocating for equality, rights, and representation while citing Islamic literature.
The targeting of Al-Maliki, and other notable intellectuals and prominent thought-makers in Saudi Arabia, sent a shock wave through Saudi society at the time. It signaled a new era of intimidation and a turning point in the country’s transformation into a police state. The indiscriminate wave of crackdowns that involved Al-Maliki, also included many prominent figures from all backgrounds. They included religious scholars, academics, journalists and bloggers, as well as economists.
Essam Al-Zamel, a brilliant young economic analyst and blogger, was arrested at the same time as Al-Maliki upon his return from a state-sponsored economic delegation in the United Sates. Ironically, Al-Zamel received the Prince Salman award for young entrepreneurs in 2009 and the national achievement award in 2014. He was also considered one of the most influential Saudi figures according to Forbes. He was sentenced in October 2020 to 15 years in prison based on several alleged terrorism-related charges. The spurious charges against Al-Zamel also cited the Counterterrorism Law and included affiliation to a banned organisation, meeting and speaking with diplomats without obtaining the state’s permission and incitement against the state.
GCHR has previously documented an increasing pattern of using the Counterterrorism Law to bring charges against activists and shares the concerns expressed by Professor Ben Saul, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, in his report on this matter. The Counterterrorism Law was increasingly used by the authorities to silence constructive or informed critiques of public policies. Among those figures who were targeted in the same wave of arrest in 2017 and remain still in prison were Dr. Salman Al-Oudah, Essa Al-Hamed, and Hassan Farhan Al-Maliki, among others.
Recommendations
The Gulf Centre for Human Rights calls on the Saudi authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release all those who were detained for expressing their opinions or pursuing advocacy for reforms, rights, and freedoms;
- Revise the Counterterrorism Law and Cybercrimes Law to ensure it compliance with the International Standards for human rights; and
- Ensure that citizens can engage in advocacy for human rights and pursuing journalism without fear of reprisals.
