Release of Human Rights Activist Issa Al-Nakhifi After More Than Two Years Beyond His Sentence

According to human rights sources, Saudi authorities have released human rights activist Issa Al-Nakhifi after keeping him in detention for more than two years beyond the end of his sentence in October 2022. Al-Nakhifi was initially arrested in December 2016 for documenting forced evictions affecting 12,000 citizens in the Jazan region near the Yemeni border. He was sentenced to six years in prison, followed by a six-year travel ban. Despite completing his sentence on October 14, 2022, he was subjected to enforced disappearance instead of being released.

During his unjustified detention, Al-Nakhifi went on a hunger strike to protest his continued imprisonment despite serving his sentence. While he has now been released, he remains under a travel ban, a common restriction for released prisoners of conscience.

Sanad Human Rights Organization welcomes the release of Issa Al-Nakhifi but stresses that this step does not absolve Saudi authorities of responsibility for the violations he endured. The organization calls for immediate and adequate compensation for Al-Nakhifi and urges the unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience who remain arbitrarily detained. Sanad also emphasizes the need to ensure that such violations are not repeated in the future.