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Adel Ali Al-Ghamdi
detainee
Date of Birth
1997
City Of Birth
Khamis Mushait
Gender
Male
Nationality
Saudi
Education
Secondary
About The Detainee
Adel Ali Al-Ghamdi is the son of detainee Aida Ali Al-Ghamdi and the brother of Abdullah Ali Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi opposition figure residing in the United Kingdom.
Arrest And Human Rights Violations
Date Of Arrest:
2018-03-26
City Of Internment:
Jeddah
Reason
For being with his detained mother, Aida Al-Ghamdi, at the time she received a financial transfer from her son, Abdullah Ali Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi opposition figure residing in the United Kingdom.
Method
While Aida Al-Ghamdi was in the car with her two sons, Adel and Sultan, on their way to a shopping center in the Al-Jami'ah district, she and her son Adel were arrested without the presentation of an arrest warrant by officers from the Ministry of Interior’s intelligence agency, who were dressed in civilian clothes. The intelligence vehicles arrived and forced Mrs. Al-Ghamdi and Adel to stop their car before they were taken to an undisclosed location.
Practices And Violations
- Arrest without presenting an arrest warrant.
- Arrested by civilians.
- Concealing the news of his arrest for more than 3 days.
- Enforced disappearance for three months.
- Denied communication with his family for more than three months.
- Solitary confinement for over three months.
- Transferred between Dhahban Prison in Jeddah and Dammam Prison without notifying his relatives.
- Tortured in front of his detained mother, and his mother was tortured in front of him.
- Subjected to severe beatings, especially to the face, kicking, having cigarette butts extinguished on him, and forced to confess against his mother, Aida Al-Ghamdi, who was also detained with him.
- One of his brothers was forced to record a video denouncing their activist brother living abroad, affirming that the family had no ties with him, in exchange for the release of himself and their mother, yet the authorities did not release them.
- Intimidating lawyers from taking on his case.
- The lawyer appointed by the family attempted to visit his clients in prison, but the authorities prevented him and exerted pressure on him, forcing him to withdraw from the case.
- Secret trial.
- Detained for over 15 months without being presented before a judicial authority, as he was arrested in March 2018 and was not brought to court until July 2019.
Charges against him:
- Communicating via phone with a family member residing abroad – their calls were recorded.
- Receiving financial assistance from the family member on several occasions.
- Failing to report his phone communications to the authorities.
The Human Dimension In His Detention
The arrest of an young man in university with his mother to pressure her son - who opposes the Saudi regime - to remain silent
Prison
Dhahban Jeddah, then moved to Dammam Political Prison
Trial and legal proceedings
He was initially sentenced to 5 years in prison, but this was later increased to 14 years.
Time Line For Arrest
2018-03-26
