In 2021, al-Khalidi sought asylum in Bulgaria; the subsequent decision by the Bulgarian government to reject his application led to widespread condemnation from human rights groups.
As he continued to criticise the government from Turkey, al-Khalidi became the victim of attacks from pro-government trolls on social media, who labelled him a "traitor" who wanted to "destroy" Saudi Arabia.
Al-Khalidi appealed the decision, and in September 2023, the Supreme Court of Cassation of Bulgaria ruled that his case had been marred by procedural errors, and ordered his application be reconsidered.
[1][2] On 4 April 2024, Human Rights Watch reported that on 31 March, al-Khalidi had been choked and beaten to the face and torso by law enforcement officers at the Busmantsi Special Facility after he attempted to give some food to a fasting family during Ramadan.
[11] The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee wrote an open letter to the Minister of the Interior, Kalin Stoyanov, and the Chairperson of DANS, Plamen Tonchev, asking for them not to forcibly return al-Khalidi to Saudi Arabia in order to ensure his security and human rights, as well as to not tarnish Bulgaria's public image.
[1] Lina al-Hathloul from the Saudi Arabian human rights organisation ALQST, who had visited al-Khalidi in detention, accused the Bulgarian government of arbitrarily detaining him, citing two prior court decisions that had ruled in his favour in 2023 and 2024, including one that had ordered his immediate release.