SANAD Human Rights Organization: Concerns over the detention of dozens over social media expression in Saudi Arabia

SANAD Human Rights Organization expressed concern over an announcement issued by Saudi Arabia’s General Commission for Audiovisual Media regarding measures taken against 49 individuals and their referral to media violations committees over what the authority described as 68 violations committed on social media platforms.

The organization said it believes those targeted by these measures may have been detained, amid a lack of official transparency regarding the nature of the procedures taken against them or the legal guarantees available to them.

The announcement came following a broad wave of engagement by Saudi youth on social media platforms, where criticism has recently intensified over corruption, unemployment, and deteriorating living conditions, alongside repeated calls for job opportunities and economic reform.

The authority stated that the alleged violations were linked to content breaching Article 5, Paragraph 12 of the Audiovisual Media Law, which prohibits publishing material deemed harmful to “public order, national security, and public interest.”

SANAD stated that such terms are vague formulations repeatedly used by Saudi authorities to justify repression and criminalize peaceful expression, particularly on social media, where concepts such as “public order” and “public interest” are broadly interpreted to target critics, activists, and opinion holders.

The organization stressed that freedom of expression is guaranteed under international human rights standards, including the right to peacefully express political and social opinions without fear of persecution or detention.

SANAD also warned against the continued use of media and digital regulations as tools to restrict public freedoms, calling on Saudi authorities to release all detainees held over peaceful expression and to halt prosecutions based on vague and legally undefined charges related to freedom of expression.