Saudi Arabia Continues the Arbitrary Detention of Writer and Programmer Osama Khaled for Over Five Years

Saudi authorities continue to detain writer, translator, programmer, and pediatrician Osama Khaled for the sixth consecutive year, following his arbitrary arrest on 2 August 2020 over charges related to freedom of expression.

The Specialized Criminal Court initially sentenced Khaled to five years in prison, before the Court of Appeals escalated the sentence to 32 years, based on malicious, opinion-related accusations tied to his contributions to knowledge-sharing and expression.

Born on 19 January 1994, Osama is known as a blogger, pediatrician, IT activist, and translator. He became prominent in the tech community as early as 2006, participating in volunteer initiatives. He founded the Computer Club in 2013, contributed to managing the Medical Cloud—a platform supporting medical students in building a rich knowledge library—and was a notable contributor to Arabic Wikipedia. He was also active in translation and writing on his personal blog before his accounts and platforms were shut down following his arrest. Khaled is currently serving his sentence in Al-Ha’ir Prison in Riyadh.

SANAD Human Rights Organization renews its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Osama Khaled and for compensating him for the harm he has suffered. The organization also urges the release of all prisoners of conscience in Saudi Arabia and an end to the security persecution of writers and independent thinkers.