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Mohammad Nasser Al-Ghamdi
Educator
detainee
Date of Birth
24-09-1968
City Of Birth
Jeddah
Gender
Male
Nationality
Saudi
Education
About The Detainee
A retired teacher, who is the brother of the Saudi dissident Dr. Saeed bin Nasser al-Ghamdi.
Arrest And Human Rights Violations
Date Of Arrest:
2022-06-11
City Of Internment:
Makkah
Reason
Due to five tweets criticizing the increase in taxes in Saudi Arabia and for following YouTube channels considered oppositional by the regime.
Method
Arrested from his home in Mecca
Practices And Violations
He suffers from several chronic illnesses, including a mental health condition, and is also elderly.
The Human Dimension In His Detention
- Arbitrary detention
- Intimidation of him and his family during his arrest
- Enforced disappearance
- Mistreatment
- Deliberate medical neglect
- After repeatedly requesting to see a specialist, he was instead referred to a general practitioner lacking the expertise to address his condition
- Denied the right to appoint a lawyer of his choice
- Suffering from multiple chronic psychological and neurological conditions
- Continued detention despite his advanced age
Prison
In Dhahban Prison in Jeddah
Trial and legal proceedings
He was accused of undermining security and destabilizing society based on five tweets posted from an anonymous account, in which he criticized rising unemployment and taxes, as well as his defense of prisoners of conscience during interrogation. Additionally, he was charged for following YouTube and Twitter accounts that the prosecution claimed were opposed to the government. Despite a medical report from the prison hospital confirming his chronic mental illness, the Specialized Criminal Court rejected the report and initially sentenced him to execution by discretionary punishment. However, the death sentence was later overturned, and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Time Line For Arrest
2023-07-10
He was sentenced to death.
2024-08-07
Abolition of the Death Penalty
2024-09-04
The appeal hearing was held, but the verdict was postponed for two months under the pretext of needing more time to review a report on criminal liability
2024-09-24
Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison
Arrested