Saudi Authorities Plan to Retry Human Rights Activist Mohammed Al-Bajadi After Serving His Sentence

Human rights and media sources have revealed that the Saudi authorities plan to retry human rights activist Mohammed Al-Bajadi, one of the founders of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (HASAM), despite holding him for more than two years beyond his legal sentence. According to the sources, the first hearing is scheduled for October 27 before the Specialized Criminal Court.

Al-Bajadi was arrested in May 2018 for his role in founding HASAM. The Saudi judiciary later sentenced him to ten years in prison, with five years suspended, yet authorities have continued to detain him unlawfully since his sentence ended in 2023.

During his detention, Al-Bajadi was subjected to multiple violations, including prolonged solitary confinement, psychological and physical torture, denial of family visits and communication, and deprivation of legal representation.

In April 2025, Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, expressed deep concern over Al-Bajadi’s continued detention despite completing his sentence, urging Saudi authorities to release him immediately, and affirming that “all human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia should be freed.”

Mohammed Al-Bajadi is considered one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent human rights activists. He had previously been detained in 2007, 2008, and 2011, and during his 2011 arrest, he was sentenced to eight years in prison, half of which were suspended, along with a four-year travel ban. He was released in 2016 after spending more than five years behind bars.

SANAD Human Rights Organization strongly condemns the Saudi authorities’ plan to retry Mohammed Al-Bajadi and calls for his immediate and unconditional release, along with the release of all prisoners of conscience.