In urgent action, Amnesty calls the Saudi authorities to release Asaad Al-Ghamdi immediately, and addresses Letter to Saudi Minister of Justice

Amnesty International has published a report condemning the arrest of Mr. Asaad Nasser Al-Ghamdi and, in an urgent action, called on the Saudi authorities to release him immediately.
In a prompt letter addressed to the Saudi Minister of Justice, Walid Mohammed Al-Samaani, Amnesty International expressed its deep concern over the verdict issued by the Specialized Criminal Court against teacher As’ad bin Nasser Al-Ghamdi, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by a 20-year travel ban due to his social media posts criticizing Vision 2030 and expressing condolences for the death of prominent human rights defender Abdullah Al-Hamid in prison.

In its letter, Amnesty International emphasized that the charges against Al-Ghamdi are solely based on his peaceful social media activities. The organization highlighted serious human rights violations during his trial, including three months of solitary confinement and deprivation of necessary healthcare for his chronic medical condition. Amnesty International also expressed concern over the lack of adequate legal representation for Al-Ghamdi, noting that he was interrogated without a lawyer for the first nine months of his detention, and the state-appointed lawyer refused to meet him to prepare his defense.

Amnesty International urged the Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Al-Ghamdi and annul his conviction and sentence. Pending his release, they demanded that he be provided with the necessary healthcare urgently and be ensured a fair trial. The organization stressed that using terrorism charges to criminalize the exercise of the right to freedom of expression constitutes a serious human rights violation. They called for the repeal or amendment of anti-terrorism and cybercrime laws to align with international human rights standards.

Amnesty International also voiced concern over the arrest and death sentence in July 2023 of As’ad Al-Ghamdi’s brother, 55-year-old retired teacher Mohammed bin Nasser Al-Ghamdi, solely for expressing his views on social media. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had concluded that Mohammed Al-Ghamdi’s detention was arbitrary and violated his human rights.

The organization noted that Al-Ghamdi’s case is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of systematic repression against human rights defenders, political activists, and journalists in Saudi Arabia. They urged the international community to pressure the Saudi authorities to end these violations and ensure the protection of human rights in Saudi Arabia.

In a related development, Human Rights Watch issued a statement condemning the 20-year prison sentence handed down to Saudi teacher Asaad Al-Ghamdi. The organization described the conviction as a new example of transnational repression in Saudi Arabia, noting that the verdict was influenced by the activities of a family member abroad, namely Dr. Saeed Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi dissident residing in London. Human Rights Watch affirmed that this ruling represents a new escalation in Saudi Arabia’s intensifying crackdown on freedom of expression and other fundamental rights.

SANAD Organisation for Human Rights documented that Saudi authorities arrested 47-year-old Asaad bin Nasser Al-Ghamdi on November 20, 2022, after raiding his home in Jeddah. He was held in solitary confinement for the first three months of his detention, during which he was denied essential healthcare for his epilepsy, experiencing frequent fainting spells and seizures as a result.

The Specialized Criminal Court charged him under the anti-terrorism law with “undermining the religion and justice of the King and Crown Prince” and “supporting terrorist ideology and activities.” Court documents indicated that all charges against him were related to his activity on the X platform (formerly Twitter), where he criticized government programs and expressed condolences over the death of prominent human rights defender Abdullah Al-Hamid. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.