For More Than 8 Years… Continued Detention of Dr. Mohammed Al-Shannar

Saudi authorities have continued to detain Saudi academic Dr. Mohammed Al-Shannar for more than eight years following his arbitrary arrest during the September 2017 crackdown that targeted scholars and intellectuals in the Kingdom.

According to SANAD Human Rights Organization, Al-Shannar has appeared before the court only twice since his arrest—the first time after a full year in September 2018. Since then, no further hearings have been held, and no judicial verdict has been issued against him, based on the information available.

He has also been subjected to serious violations in prison, including being denied family visits for months, prevented from appointing a lawyer, and subjected to deliberate medical neglect.

SANAD calls on the Saudi authorities to immediately release Dr. Mohammed Al-Shannar, provide appropriate compensation for the harm he has suffered, release all prisoners of conscience, and end all forms of repression in Saudi Arabia.