Continued Detention of Economic Expert Essam Al-Zamil

Saudi authorities continue to detain economic expert Essam Al-Zamil since September 2017, following his return from an international economic conference, as part of a broader crackdown on national experts and individuals expressing independent opinions in the Kingdom.

In October 2020, the Specialized Criminal Court sentenced Al-Zamil to 15 years in prison over tweets posted on his Twitter account criticizing the government’s economic policies. He was also charged with communicating with a Qatari figure after the Gulf crisis and alleged affiliation with a “banned group”—charges that lack any foundation of fair trial standards.

During his detention, Al-Zamil has been subjected to severe human rights violations, including prolonged solitary confinement, defamation, and politically motivated fabricated accusations.

Sanad Human Rights Organization affirms that the continued imprisonment of Essam Al-Zamil constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights and freedom of expression. The organization calls on Saudi authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally, to compensate him for the psychological and material harm he has endured, and to end all forms of repression against citizens and independent thinkers.

Sanad also holds the Saudi government fully responsible for the ongoing campaign of silencing dissent and urges the international community to take serious action in pressuring Saudi Arabia to halt its systematic and repeated violations.