Dr. Suleiman Al-Duwaish marks 10 years of detention and enforced disappearance over tweets

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Saudi cleric Dr. Suleiman Al-Duwaish, who was arbitrarily detained on April 22, 2016, in Mecca after posting a series of tweets that indirectly criticized the policies of King Salman and his son, Mohammed bin Salman. According to information obtained by SANAD, he was arrested by security forces and flown by private plane to Riyadh, where he was subjected to severe torture inside a royal palace before being forcibly disappeared without trial or contact with his family.

Multiple testimonies indicate that Al-Duwaish was held in a secret prison in the basement of a palace, reportedly used for abuses, where he endured extreme physical and psychological torture, including beatings that led to loss of consciousness and bleeding. Some accounts allege direct involvement of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his abuse. He was last seen in July 2018, and since then, no official information about his fate has been released, raising fears that he may have died under torture.

Al-Duwaish has been denied all legal rights—he has not been brought before a court, allowed legal representation, or permitted direct contact with his family. His family reportedly received misleading calls from foreign numbers claiming he was in Syria or Turkey, while no credible official statement has clarified his fate. Reports also suggest that authorities briefly listed his name in detainee records before removing it, even advising his family to search for him in hospitals or morgues.

SANAD Human Rights Organization condemns the continued enforced disappearance of Dr. Suleiman Al-Duwaish, warns against official concealment of his fate, and calls on Saudi authorities to immediately disclose his whereabouts, hold those responsible accountable, and release him without delay. It stresses that such violations constitute a grave breach of international law and human rights standards.