One Year Since the Arrest of Palestinian Journalist Hatem Al-Najjar in Saudi Arabia

These days mark the first anniversary of the arrest of Palestinian journalist and host of the “Morraba” podcast on the Thmanyah channel, Hatem Al-Najjar. He was detained in January 2024 following an intense online campaign targeting his account on the X platform, allegedly orchestrated by Saudi government-linked accounts. These accounts resurfaced old tweets of his.

The tweets in question date back to the era of King Abdullah, during which Al-Najjar expressed opinions on various issues. Following the renewed circulation of these tweets, Saudi authorities arrested him in mid-January 2024. Since then, he has been held in Riyadh’s Al-Ha’ir prison, with no confirmed information about his conditions of detention or any official charges against him.

SANAD Human Rights Organization demands the immediate release of journalist Hatem Al-Najjar, respect for his right to freedom of opinion and expression, disclosure of the circumstances of his arrest and detention, and assurance that he receives all his legal and human rights.