Saudi Arabia

A leading Saudi Arabian rights group was shuttered, while harsh sentences on politically-motivated charges were imposed on two rights advocates.

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies reports on attacks carried out by the governments of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Oman against human rights defenders for cooperating with the UN.

Saudi security forces detained al-Natour at King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh on 6 January 2013, and have held him incommunicado for two months.

Al-Jamal was arrested on 25 February 2012, in the city of Al-Qatif. He had played an instrumental role in covering anti-government protests in the Eastern Province and had often criticized the Saudi government.

Sulaiman al-Rashoodi is one of 16 people convicted in 2011 for trying to establish a human rights organisation in Saudi Arabia. He was recently detained after giving a speech on Sharia law.

Saudi Arabia’s security forces have arrested dozens of women and 13 children as they protested the detention and called for the release of their relatives who have been detained for years without being charged or tried in court.

Saudi writer Turki Al-Hamad was arrested on 24 December after sending out a series of controversial tweets. He is at risk of being facing the death penalty.

Raif Badawi, a detained editor of a liberal website created to foster debate about religion in Saudi Arabia, has been referred to a higher court on a charge of apostasy, which carries the death penalty.

A dual US and Saudi citizen has been detained for six months without charge after posting tweets criticising traditional interpretations of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.

In a peaceful protest seeking the release of family members held for years without charge, 19 men were detained and charged by the Saudi Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution.

Saudi activist Talal al Majid has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for allegedly collaborating with a notable dissident.

Three protesters were handed sentences ranging from seven to eight months’ imprisonment and one hundred lashes for their participation in protests in the Saudi governorate of El Qatif in March 2011.

Fahid Saad Al-Otaibi posted a video on Twitter denouncing the torture and abuse he was subjected to in Saudi prison while previously detained.

If convicted, Ra’if Badawi faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to US$800,000.

Protests held on 8 July in Al-Qatif following the arrest of Nemr Baqer Nemr, a Shiite Sheikh and activist, were met with excessive violence by security forces.

Authorities are undertaking a fierce campaign to crackdown on rights defenders to prevent them from monitoring and reporting on ongoing violations, particularly relating to freedoms of expression and assembly and prisoners’ rights, demands for reform, or the defense of fundamental rights and freedoms in the Kingdom.