Second Anniversary of Mansour Al-Raqeeba’s Arrest

These days mark the second anniversary of the arrest of businessman and media personality Mansour Al-Raqeeba in May 2022. He was detained after criticizing the Saudi authorities in a private session, during which one of the attendees reported him. As a result, Al-Raqeeba is serving a 27-year prison sentence.

SANAD organisation previously revealed the brutal manner in which Al-Raqeeba was arrested: the neighborhood where he lived was completely surrounded, his home was raided by 30 security personnel, his phones were confiscated, and he was taken directly to a security vehicle.

Subsequently, the family was gathered in one room, and even the women and children were searched, and their mobile phones were confiscated. Some of the women were ordered to stand facing the wall without moving at all. The security forces then proceeded to search Mansour Al-Raqeeba’s private rest house in a haphazard manner, scattering all its contents.

The authorities did not stop at arresting Mansour Al-Raqeeba; they also detained his father, Sheikh Ali Al-Raqeeba, who was released after a two-month detention. Human rights sources confirmed that Al-Raqeeba has suffered from kidney failure, blood sugar disorders, and severe depression episodes due to deliberate medical neglect.

The Saudi authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Mansour Al-Raqeeba and compensate him adequately.