Continued Detention of Dr. Ibrahim Al-Fares Despite His Age and Completion of Sentence

The Saudi authorities continue to detain Dr. Ibrahim Al-Fares, aged 68, despite the completion of his prison sentence, which was issued by the Specialized Criminal Court in September 2020. The court had sentenced him to three years in prison, yet Dr. Al-Fares was arbitrarily arrested back in September 2017 and only tried more than three years after his detention without any legal justification.

By September 2023, Dr. Al-Fares had fully served his sentence, and should have been immediately released, unconditionally. However, the Saudi authorities continue to delay his release, despite the fact that the sentence itself was unjust and arbitrary, given the absence of any legitimate legal charges.

Dr. Al-Fares is one of many elderly detainees held arbitrarily in Saudi prisons under harsh conditions and systematic medical neglect. The latest victim of such negligence was Dr. Qasim Al-Qathardi, who died in detention several months ago.

SANAD Human Rights Organization renews its call on the Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Ibrahim Al-Fares, holding them fully responsible for his physical and mental well-being, and urges the regime to respect even its own judicial rulings, however unjust they may be, as a bare minimum legal obligation.