On the Third Anniversary of Fares Al-Dulailah’s Arrest, SANAD Calls for His Release

These days mark the third anniversary of the arrest of former legal and military adviser Fares Ali Nasser Al-Dulailah, 41, who was detained in June 2023. He remains imprisoned in Dhahban Prison in Jeddah, with no clear information about his detention conditions, the charges against him, or whether he has been brought before a court.

According to his wife, who lives outside Saudi Arabia with their daughter, Al-Dulailah was forcibly disappeared after his arrest, and his family only learned of his whereabouts much later through a phone call with his older brother. She also said he has been denied the right to appoint a lawyer.

In a previous statement to SANAD, his wife said she tried to contact him for eight consecutive months, but prison authorities repeatedly denied her requests without providing any legal justification. Their daughter also appealed to Dhahban Prison officials, asking to speak with her father, but her requests were unsuccessful.

The family said authorities imposed unreasonable conditions, including requiring his wife to appear in person at the prison to arrange phone calls, despite her residence abroad.

SANAD’s sources also reported that Saudi authorities warned Al-Dulailah’s wife that continuing to ask about his whereabouts could expose her to legal consequences. In another incident, a Dhahban Prison employee told the family that arranging phone calls was not the prison’s responsibility, referring them instead to the Presidency of State Security.

After contacting multiple sources, including Al-Dulailah’s wife, SANAD believes his arrest was linked to posts he published on X requesting certain rights from a government body. According to his wife, his account was seized and later shut down by the State Security agency several months after his arrest.