Date Of Arrest:
2020-06-28
City Of Internment:
Jeddah
Reason
He was arrested due to his connections with Yasin Aqtay, an advisor to the Turkish president, and was also accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, the Houthi group
Method
During his detention, Mohammed faced illegal excesses by the security forces, who arrested him without a court order or any official document authorizing his arrest or the search of his home. His home was raided, and his family was terrorized.
Practices And Violations
He endured physical abuse including being beaten on his head and stomach and kicked in the legs to coerce confessions from him, resulting in two coerced admissions. He was held in solitary confinement for four months and twenty days and was denied communication with his family and children in Turkey. His request to have his brother represent him in Turkish courts was denied, leading to significant losses in his investments in Turkey.
The Human Dimension In His Detention
Severe financial losses in his business operations in Turkey.
Prison
Trial and legal proceedings
The prosecution based its case against Mohammed on several pieces of evidence, including his attendance at a conference in Turkey that gathered a number of investors. As one of the investors, Mohammed participated and was photographed with Yasin Aqtay, an advisor to the Turkish president. Additionally, the prosecution's charges were supported by the contents found on his phone: a video of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with glorifying text, a photo of the late Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, a picture of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and an offensive image of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the former Crown Prince of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed. There was also a screenshot of a WhatsApp group conversation titled "Yemeni Updates No. 1."
On the contrary side, the Public Prosecutor's Office claimed that Fadhil supported the Houthi group based on a Facebook account bearing his full name, which he denied owning, urging the authorities to inspect the devices he uses. However, the prosecution failed to prove that he owned the account. Based on these charges, he was initially sentenced to 7 years in prison, which was increased to 27 years upon appeal.
Arrested