On the 9th Anniversary of His Enforced Disappearance, Sanad Demands Disclosure of Dr. Suleiman Al-Doweesh’s Fate and His Immediate Release

Today marks nine years since the arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance of Dr. Suleiman Al-Doweesh, who was detained on April 22, 2016, in Mecca after posting a series of tweets indirectly criticizing the policies of King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to information obtained by Sanad Human Rights Organization, Dr. Al-Doweesh was arrested by security forces and transferred via private jet to Riyadh, where he was subjected to horrific torture inside a royal palace. He was then forcibly disappeared without trial or contact with his family.

Multiple accounts indicate that Al-Doweesh was held in a secret prison located in the basement of one of the palaces, specifically prepared for abusive detentions. There, he endured severe physical and psychological torture that reportedly left him unconscious and bleeding. Some testimonies even claim that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally took part in the abuse. The last confirmed sighting of Dr. Al-Doweesh was in July 2018, after which all official communication ceased, and conflicting narratives presented to his family only heightened fears that he may have died under torture.

Dr. Al-Doweesh was denied all his legal rights: he was never brought before a court, was not allowed legal representation, nor permitted to contact his family. Over the years, his family received misleading calls from foreign numbers falsely claiming he was in Syria or Turkey. No credible official statement has ever clarified his fate. Testimonies suggest his name was once listed in the detainee database before being removed, and his family was even told to search hospitals or morgues for him.

Sanad Human Rights Organization strongly condemns the ongoing enforced disappearance of Dr. Suleiman Al-Doweesh and warns against the official cover-up of his fate. Sanad urgently calls on the Saudi authorities to disclose his whereabouts, hold those responsible for his detention and torture accountable, and secure his immediate and unconditional release. The continuation of such grave violations constitutes a blatant breach of international law and human rights treaties that uphold dignity and justice for all.