Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi Announces Start of Hunger Strike

The Saudi activist detained in Bulgaria, Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi, has announced the start of his hunger strike beginning today, July 5, 2024, due to the intransigence he faces and the refusal to release him and grant him asylum, despite a previous ruling by the Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court considering the agency’s refusal unreasonable and without any legal basis.

It is noted that Al-Khalidi was politically active in Saudi Arabia, and fearing arrest, he moved to Turkey. With his passport expiring, Al-Khalidi was forced to leave Turkey in 2021, embarking on a journey on foot through forests to Bulgaria to seek protection in the European Union. However, in May 2023, Bulgarian authorities denied him political asylum due to his inability to prove that he would face persecution in his home country. Al-Khalidi is currently awaiting a final decision on his deportation to Riyadh.

SANAD Organisation for Human Rights affirms its full support for Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi and calls on the Bulgarian authorities to grant him asylum and release him immediately and urgently.