Egyptian doctor sentenced to 10 years in Saudi Arabia after demanding unpaid financial dues

Egyptian doctor Sabri Shalaby remains detained in Saudi Arabia for the sixth consecutive year since his arrest in January 2020 on fabricated and retaliatory charges following his legal victory against the Saudi Ministry of Health in 2019 to recover withheld financial dues.

Shalaby filed his lawsuit in 2017 after discovering he had been registered under a lower job title than agreed in his contract. The court later ruled in his favor, ordering the ministry to adjust his salary retroactively. Following the ruling, the ministry reportedly dismissed him arbitrarily and issued deportation orders against him and his family before security forces arrested him and confiscated his belongings.

The Specialized Criminal Court sentenced him to 20 years in prison, later reduced to 10 years on appeal.

Reports indicate that Shalaby was subjected to serious abuses during detention, including nine months in solitary confinement, as well as physical and psychological abuse. Prolonged detention in darkness reportedly caused cataracts, while deliberate medical neglect led to chronic back pain, asthma, and diabetes. Despite offering to cover his own treatment expenses, prison authorities allegedly refused to provide him with medical care.