[3] During his pre-trial detention, al-Hashimi went on hunger strike for a week, which reportedly caused his guards to strip him down to his underwear and leave him in a cold cell for several hours.

Their lawyers were initially denied information on the charges against the men, and the court's sessions were closed to media and observers, leading Amnesty International to criticize the proceedings as "grossly unfair".

[3] Al-Hashimi found guilty by the Specialized Criminal Court on charges including "disobeying Saudi Arabia’s king, forming an organization opposing the state, questioning the independence of the judiciary, money laundering and 'supporting terrorism'", and in November was sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment and a fine of 2 million riyals (US$534,000).

[1] The International Federation for Human Rights and World Organisation Against Torture issued a joint statement calling for "urgent intervention" into the case, including the immediate and unconditional release of al-Hashimi.

[2] The Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK described al-Hashimi and the other prisoners as "simply advocating peaceful reforms to the political system" and began a petition for their release.