Saudi Judiciary Postpones Appeal Hearing of Asaad bin Nasser Al-Ghamdi

The Saudi authorities have postponed the appeal hearing of teacher Asaad bin Nasser Al-Ghamdi until October, after it was initially scheduled for this week, in a move reflecting the ongoing mockery of the Saudi judicial system. Al-Ghamdi was arrested on November 20, 2022, and sentenced to 20 years in prison for tweets on the platform X (formerly Twitter), one of which expressed condolences for human rights activist Abdullah Al-Hamid.

Since his arrest, Asaad Al-Ghamdi has been subjected to a series of violations in prison, including physical and psychological torture, and deliberate medical neglect in Dhahban and Al-Ha’ir prisons. He was administered drugs that tampered with his mind and mental state, leading to a significant deterioration in his health.

Moreover, Asaad Al-Ghamdi was placed in solitary confinement for three months in Dhahban prison, where he was completely isolated from the outside world and prevented from communicating with his family, further worsening his psychological and physical suffering. SANAD Human Rights Organization calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Asaad Al-Ghamdi and the annulment of his sentence.