Seven Years Since Abdullah Al-Sayel’s Arrest Over Tweets Supporting Prisoners of Conscience

These days mark the seventh anniversary of the arrest of Abdullah Al-Sayel, who was detained by Saudi authorities in September 2019 following a raid on his home in Muhayil Asir Governorate over social media posts expressing support for prisoners of conscience in the Kingdom.

Al-Sayel is currently serving his sentence at Shaar Prison in the Asir region, amid continued restrictions and a lack of transparency regarding the judicial proceedings against him.

The court initially sentenced him to five years in prison. However, sources obtained by SANAD Human Rights Organization later revealed that his sentence had been increased to nine years, amid limited information about his trial hearings and the legal grounds and procedures that led to the harsher sentence.

SANAD Human Rights Organization renews its call on Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Abdullah Al-Sayel, end his seven-year ordeal, and provide him with fair and appropriate compensation for the harm caused by his arrest and detention.