Abdelsalam Gomaa — Five Years of Arbitrary Detention in Saudi Prisons

Saudi authorities have continued to detain Egyptian Nubian activist Abdelsalam Gomaa Ali Bahr for more than five years in Abha Prison, Asir region, over his role in organizing a peaceful event in Riyadh commemorating the October 1973 War.

Security forces affiliated with the General Intelligence Directorate raided his home on July 14, 2020, and arrested him without a legal warrant, along with nine other Egyptian Nubians detained on the same day.

Following his arrest, Bahr was forcibly disappeared for two months, and denied contact with his family and lawyer for extended periods. On October 10, 2022, the Specialized Criminal Court sentenced him to 12 years in prison, according to Human Rights Watch.

SANAD Human Rights Organization calls on Saudi authorities to immediately release Abdelsalam Gomaa and all detained Nubian activists, and to grant them full compensation for the violations they have endured.