SANAD Human Rights Organization: Saudi Authorities Continue Arbitrary Detention of Human Rights Defender Issa Al-Hamid Since 2017

Saudi authorities have continued the arbitrary detention of human rights activist Issa Al-Hamid since September 2017, due to his peaceful advocacy for human rights. He was specifically targeted for co-founding the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (Hasam) and for his communication with international human rights organizations—activities the authorities labeled as “distorting the image of the state.”

In April 2016, the Specialized Criminal Court—a widely criticized and politicized tribunal—sentenced Al-Hamid to 11 years in prison, followed by another 11-year travel ban.

This was not his first arrest. In 2008, he was previously detained alongside his late brother, Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamid, one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent advocates of peaceful reform, who died in detention in 2020 due to deliberate medical neglect, according to documented testimonies.

SANAD Human Rights Organization calls on Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Issa Al-Hamid, along with all prisoners of conscience held merely for their peaceful expression or legitimate human rights work. SANAD urges the authorities to cease the use of the judiciary as a tool of repression, end all forms of persecution against human rights defenders, and ensure the Kingdom’s full adherence to international standards it has committed to—particularly regarding freedom of expression, freedom of association, and fair trial guarantees.