Continued Detention of Khaled Al-Omair After Filing Complaint Against Officer Who Tortured Him

Saudi human rights activist Khaled Al-Omair remains in arbitrary detention since June 2018, after he filed an official complaint against a security officer who had tortured him during a previous arrest. Instead of investigating the abuses he endured, the Saudi authorities re-arrested him, turning the victim of torture into the accused.

Al-Omair faced charges related to freedom of expression, including launching a hashtag calling for “a new constitution for the people,” and “inciting against the leadership”—accusations that are repeatedly used to criminalize peaceful activism. In April 2021, he was sentenced to seven years in prison, which was later increased to nine years in August of the same year, followed by an additional nine-year travel ban.

Khaled Al-Omair has been arrested multiple times since 2008, and was previously imprisoned for eight years on charges of “disobeying the ruler” after taking part in peaceful protests in support of Palestine. During that imprisonment, he went on multiple hunger strikes in protest of his detention conditions and mistreatment, and he remained committed to nonviolent activism despite repeated threats.

More alarmingly, in July 2021, Al-Omair was physically assaulted inside prison by another inmate he did not know. Despite the seriousness of the incident, authorities failed to investigate or take any measures to ensure his protection.

SANAD Human Rights Organization calls for the immediate release of Khaled Al-Omair, the opening of an independent investigation into all the violations he has suffered, and for his right to a fair trial to be upheld. SANAD also demands an end to the prosecution of civilians in exceptional courts such as the Specialized Criminal Court.