Five Years Behind Bars: Dr. Abdullah Basfar Enters His Sixth Year of Arbitrary Detention

This week marks five years since the arrest of Dr. Abdullah Basfar by Saudi authorities in August 2020, after he accepted an invitation to lead prayers at the Hagia Sophia Mosque courtyard in Istanbul.

On October 12, 2022, the Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh sentenced him to 12 years in prison following a secret trial, during which he was denied the right to appoint a lawyer for his defense.

Born in Jeddah in 1961, Dr. Basfar earned his PhD from Umm Al-Qura University. He served as an associate professor at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah before his arrest and was the imam and preacher at Mansour Al-Shaibi Mosque in Jeddah.

Sanad Human Rights Organization stresses that Dr. Abdullah Basfar’s continued detention lacks any legal basis. The organization renews its call on Saudi authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally, and to guarantee his fundamental rights under international law.