Sanad Organization Calls for the Release of Dr. Amer Al-Alma’i, Arbitrarily Detained in Saudi Arabia
The Saudi authorities continue to arbitrarily detain Dr. Amer Al-Alma’i, an internist and former preacher at Othman Al-Ghamdi Mosque in Abha, since March 2019, without any legal justification. Despite the completion of his legal sentence in March 2024, the authorities have refused to release him.
The Specialized Criminal Court had initially sentenced Dr. Al-Alma’i to nine years in prison, later reduced to four and a half years, following a trial that lacked basic standards of justice, as has been the norm under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s rule.
Dr. Al-Alma’i is serving his sentence in the notorious Sha’ar Prison, where human rights reports have documented severe abuses against detainees, including physical and psychological torture, medical neglect, and sexual harassment. Sanad Organization has previously published a special report detailing such practices, which constitute blatant violations of international and humanitarian laws.
Sanad Organization strongly condemns the continued detention of Dr. Amer Al-Alma’i beyond the completion of his sentence and calls on Saudi authorities to release him immediately and allow him to reunite with his family. The organization also urges the international community and human rights organizations to intensify pressure on Saudi authorities to end their repeated violations against prisoners of conscience and to uphold their legal and moral commitments.
