U.S. House Resolution Calls for the Release of Prisoners of Conscience in Saudi Arabia

Coinciding with the seventh anniversary of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the U.S. House of Representatives has introduced a resolution calling on the Government of Saudi Arabia to immediately release all prisoners of conscience. The resolution affirms that Khashoggi’s assassination was not an isolated incident, but rather part of a continued pattern of repression involving the arrest and silencing of independent voices both inside and outside the Kingdom.

According to the resolution, Saudi authorities continue to systematically suppress freedom of expression through arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, and persecution of activists and dissidents, in flagrant violation of human rights and international law.

The resolution makes a clear call for the release of several prisoners of conscience, including Abdulrahman Al-Sadhan, Noura Al-Qahtani, Salman Al-Odah, Waleed Abu Al-Khair, and Sarah and Omar Al-Jabri, stressing the importance of respecting citizens’ fundamental rights, ensuring freedom of the press and peaceful assembly, and ending surveillance and harassment campaigns targeting independent voices.

It further notes that the continuation of such practices places significant strain on U.S.–Saudi relations and undermines the values upon which the partnership between the two countries is built.

For its part, the SANAD Human Rights Organization welcomes this move, describing it as an important step toward increasing international pressure on Saudi authorities to end their abuses and release all prisoners of conscience without exception.