Political prisoners in Saudi Arabia

[9] The UK-based Islamic Human Rights Commission claims that political prisoners in Saudi Arabia are usually arbitrarily detained without charge or trial.

[1] In November 2008, twenty human rights activists started a two-day hunger strike to call for al-Reshoudi and the other 2 February 2007 detainees to be released.

Some of those detained included tribal leader Mukhlif al-Shammari who was charged with "annoying others" in his opinion articles published in a local newspaper and online; as well as assistant professor of law Muhammad al-Abdul Karim for publishing an article "The crisis of conflict amongst the governing wings in Saudi Arabia" online on 22 November 2010, and the 18-year-old university student Thamir Abdul Karim al-Khidr for his involvement in a human rights group and to pressure his father.

[1] Detentions of dissidents during the 2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests included well-known activists such as Mohammed Saleh al-Bejadi, who was arrested on 21 March 2011 for his campaigning for the release of political prisoners, and "previously unknown individuals who have become overnight icons of the protest movement in Saudi Arabia",[1] such as Khaled al-Johani, arrested on 11 March 2011 "Day of Rage".

[15] A legal defence team for Suliman al-Reshoudi filed a court case in the Grievances Board against the Ministry of Interior/Mabahith on 16 August 2009 on the grounds that 2 February 2007 detentions were arbitrary.

As a state party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Saudi Arabia is legally obliged to ensure that no one under 18 at the time of a crime is sentenced to death or to life in prison without the possibility of release.

Zuhair Kutbi's lawyer and son said half the sentence was suspended, but that he was also banned from writing for 15 years and travelling abroad for five, and fined $26,600.

[29][30] In September 2017, a reformist scholar of Islamic law, Salman al-Ouda was arrested by Saudi authorities for "terrorism and conspiracy against the state", along with some other prominent activists and preachers.

After three years of solitary confinement in Saudi, al-Ouda's son, Abdullah Alaoudh highlighted in a December 2020 opinion piece in The New York Times that the physical and mental health of his father was declining.

Appealing the president-elect Joe Biden’s administration, he said that as per the lawyers, the Kingdom was seeking death penalty for Salman al-Ouda on 37 charges.

[32] According to the reports published by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and ALQST, activists face sexual harassment, torture and other forms of ill-treatment during interrogation.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman issued her arrest and detention for possessing a fake passport, when she was trying to allegedly flee Saudi Arabia.

[37] On 28 March 2019, Saudi released three human rights activists among the group of detainees including Aziza al-Yousef, Eman al-Nafjan and Dr Rokaya Mohareb, on bail.

A day prior to the release, during the hearing one of women told the judges that while she was in detention, several intoxicated men took her from her cell to a secret location and tortured her.

The medical reports were prepared for King Salman, along with a recommendation that asked to pardon all the prisoners or release the ones with major health issues.

[43] On 17 April 2019, the fourth hearing in the trial of 11 activists in the group including Loujain al-Hathloul, Eman al-Nafjan and Aziza al-Yousef was cancelled due to "private reasons", with no announcement of a revised date.

[45] On 14 May 2019, Amnesty International condemned Saudi Arabia for detaining several women human rights defenders a year earlier and torturing them.

[46] On 16 March 2020, Saad bin Khalid Al Jabry's children were taken from their home and detained by about 50 state security officers who arrived in 20 cars.

The report alleges that since 2017, under crown prince Mohammed bin Salman's 'de facto' rule of Saudi Arabia, 309 political prisoners have suffered human rights abuses.

[47] Saad Ibrahim Al-Madi a 72-year-old Saudi-US citizen subsequently sentenced to 19 years in prison over a series of Tweets criticizing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.