Wajdi Al-Ghazzawi: Saudi Journalist Spends 12 Years in Prison for Speaking About Corruption

Saudi authorities arrested journalist Wajdi Al-Ghazzawi in August 2012 for discussing corruption and the embezzlement of public funds in the country through his TV program ‘Fadfada’ which focuses on human rights and political awareness.

In 2014, the Specialized Criminal Court sentenced him to 12 years in prison, a 20-year travel ban, and a permanent ban from media appearances. The Saudi judiciary also charged Al-Ghazzawi with harming Saudi Arabia’s reputation, producing materials that distort public and moral order, and inciting sedition.

Al-Ghazzawi is a media figure who worked as a religious observer in the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques and the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. He was also the Director of Religious Affairs at the National Guard Hospital in Jeddah.