The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, along with 16 non-governmental organizations, signed a statement calling on the Saudi government to reveal the fate and whereabouts of the prominent Saudi human rights defender and co-founder of the Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA), Dr Muhammad al-Qahtani, who has been detained for six months. The statement demanded the immediate and unconditional release of four ACPRA members who remain arbitrarily detained.
Statement:
April 24, 2023 marks six months since the last contact that the prominent Saudi human rights defender and co-founder of the Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA)* Muhammad al-Qahtani had with his family. Since then, the authorities have subjected him to incommunicado detention. Al-Qahtani served his full sentence in November 2022. Five members of ACPRA are still in prison in retaliation for their peaceful human rights activism, and they are Muhammad al-Qahtani, Issa al-Hamid, Muhammad al-Bajadi, Fawzan al-Harbi, and Abdulaziz al-Shubaili.
Muhammad al-Qahtani was arbitrarily arrested in March 2012 and interrogated concerning his work with ACPRA and his peaceful activism. On March 9, 2013, the Riyadh Criminal Court sentenced him to 10 years in prison to be followed by an equal length of travel ban on charges including “undermining state policies,” “questioning the integrity of officials,” and “seeking to disrupt security and incite chaos by calling for Demonstration,” and “inciting international organizations against the Kingdom.” The authorities failed to release al-Qahtani on November 22, 2022, when his prison sentence expired. However, since October 24 2022, the Saudi authorities have denied him any contact with his family and continue to hold him incommunicado.
Despite al-Qahtani's wife making several inquiries about his whereabouts in al-Ha'ir prison, where al-Qahtani was serving his sentence, prison officers continued to refuse to disclose any information about him. His family has reason to believe that he has gone on hunger strike and his health has deteriorated significantly, putting his life in imminent danger. This is not the first time that Muhammad al-Qahtani has been denied contact with his family. In April 2021, he was held incommunicado after testing positive for COVID-19, raising concerns about his health throughout his illness. Over the past ten years in prison, security forces have subjected al-Qahtani to inhumane and degrading conditions of detention, and have subjected him to torture and ill-treatment, including beatings.
We are all concerned for the safety of al-Qahtani given the death of ACPRA co-founder, Abdullah al-Hamid, while he was in detention on April 23, 2020. Abdullah al-Hamid suffered from high blood pressure, and his doctor told him three months before his death that he needed to undergo heart surgery. The prison authorities threatened him that if he told his family about his health condition, they would cut off his contact with his family. Dr Abdullah al-Hamid suffered a stroke on April 9, 2020, and remained in detention despite being in a coma in the intensive care unit at al-Shumaisi Hospital in Riyadh.
After the death of al-Hamid, the Saudi authorities carried out a wave of arrests of several individuals who expressed sympathy for his death.
ACPRA was founded in 2009 by 11 human rights defenders and academics, to promote and protect fundamental rights and freedoms in Saudi Arabia, including through the promotion of constitutional reforms. While ACPRA was not officially registered by the government, it was officially banned as an organization and dissolved by a court order in 2013. As of May 2016, the Specialized Criminal Court has sentenced all eleven of its members to long prison terms, ranging from seven to fifteen years. years for their activities in the field of human rights and their cooperation with the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations.
In light of the above, we, the undersigned organizations, reiterate our call for the Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mohammed Al-Qahtani and other members of ACPRA who have been arbitrarily detained solely for their peaceful activism. In the meantime, we call on the authorities to reveal the fate and whereabouts of Muhammad al-Qahtani, ensure immediate contact with his family, and provide him with any medical care he may need. Saudi Arabia should ensure a free and enabling environment for all human rights defenders so that they can carry out their activities without fear of reprisals and undue restrictions.
Co-founding members of ACPRA
Among the founding members of ACPRA, five remain in detention today: Dr Muhammad al-Qahtani (sentenced to 10 years in prison and then a 10-year travel ban, completed his sentence in November 2022, yet remains in incommunicado detention); Mohammed al-Bajadi (sentenced to four years in prison, four years suspended, followed by a 10-year travel ban, and currently detained since May 2018); Abdul Aziz al-Shubaili (sentenced to eight years in prison followed by an eight-year travel ban); Fawzan al-Harbi (sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by a 10-year travel ban); Issa al-Hamid (sentenced to 11 years in prison, followed by an 11-year travel ban). Sheikh Suleiman al-Rashudi (sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by a 15-year travel ban, was released in April 2018 for medical reasons; Abdul Karim al-Khader (sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by a 10-year travel ban), released in January 2023 after the end of his sentence But he was still subject to a travel ban). Abdullah al-Hamid (sentenced to 11 years in prison, then an 11-year travel ban), passed away on April 23, 2020, while he was in detention. Abdullah al-Hamid and Mohammed al-Qahtani, along with Waleed Abu al-Khair, received the Right Livelihood Award in November 2018.
The Undersigned Organisations:
- MENA Rights Group
- Right Livelihood
- AlQST for Human Rights
- International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
- Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
- European Center for Democracy & Human Rights (ECDHR)
- European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR)
- Freedom Initiative
- Human Rights Foundation (HRF)
- Humana Human Rights and Civic Engagement Organization
- Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR)
- Amnesty International
- FIDH, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
- World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), under the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
- Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
- Human Rights First
- ACAT France