Amnesty International calls on Bulgaria to halt the deportation of Saudi activist Abdulrahman Al-Khaldi and to release him immediately

Amnesty International, along with several human rights organizations, issued a statement urging the Bulgarian authorities to immediately refrain from extraditing Saudi activist Abdulrahman Al-Khaldi, who is currently detained in Bulgaria and faces imminent risk of deportation to Saudi Arabia. The organization emphasized that Al-Khaldi is at risk of torture and other human rights violations if he is deported, due to his political views and activism in Saudi Arabia.

In its statement, Amnesty International urged the Bulgarian authorities to respect their legal obligations under international law, EU law, and domestic law by stopping Al-Khaldi’s deportation immediately and releasing him. The statement also noted that Al-Khaldi applied for asylum in Bulgaria in 2021, but his request was denied.

The organization believes that deporting Al-Khaldi to Saudi Arabia would constitute a serious violation of Bulgaria’s obligations under international and domestic law, including the principle of non-refoulement enshrined in numerous international treaties. They added that Al-Khaldi would face arbitrary detention, torture, and an unfair trial if deported, which could result in a lengthy prison sentence due to his political activism.

Amnesty International also called for urgent protection for Al-Khaldi and a reconsideration of his asylum application in Bulgaria, stressing the importance of Bulgaria fulfilling its international responsibilities in this matter.