14th Anniversary of Muhannad Al-Muhaimid’s Arrest: Four Years Since His Sentence Expired, Yet He Remains Detained

These days mark the 14th anniversary of the arrest of human rights activist Muhannad Al-Muhaimid, who was arbitrarily detained in November 2012 over his participation in peaceful demonstrations organized by families of prisoners of conscience. He remains in detention despite having completed his prison sentence.

In 2014, the Specialized Criminal Court upheld an initial ruling sentencing him to 10 years in prison, imposing a travel ban of equal duration, fining him 100,000 Saudi riyals, ordering the closure of his account on X (formerly Twitter), and permanently prohibiting him from writing on social media.

Although his sentence expired four years ago, the authorities continue to detain Al-Muhaimid without any legal justification for the continued deprivation of his liberty and without announcing any new judicial proceedings on which his continued detention might be based.

During his detention, Al-Muhaimid was subjected to violations including physical torture, 80 days in solitary confinement, and beatings by 15 security officers after he demanded his right to appoint a lawyer. These practices constitute violations of fundamental safeguards concerning the prohibition of torture, the right to legal defence, and the right to a fair trial.

SANAD Human Rights Organization condemns the continued detention of Muhannad Al-Muhaimid despite the expiry of his sentence. It calls on Saudi authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally, provide him with appropriate compensation for the physical and psychological harm he suffered during his detention, and guarantee that such violations will not be repeated.