تاريخ النشر: 22/07/2020

The unexplained death on 19 July of Saudi journalist Saleh al-Shehi, just two months after his unexpected release from prison, raises many questions, and calls for an international investigation into his death. 

Saleh al-Shehi, a well-known newspaper columnist, was arrested in January 2018 and put on trial with unusual speed before the Specialised Criminal Court, where he was charged, convicted and sentenced in a single session on 8 February to five years in prison. He was charged with “insulting the royal court” after criticising Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s so-called anti-corruption drive.

On 19 May 2020, after serving two and a half years of his five-year sentence, al-Shehi was unexpectedly released. The terms of his release are unknown, including whether it was to be permanent or temporary. In June 2020 al-Shehi was transferred to intensive care in hospital, and he died on 19 July. The Saudi authorities have reported that he died from Covid-19; however his death, like the circumstances of his release, remains highly ambiguous. 

Al-Shehi’s death follows that of the iconic reformer and human rights activist Abdullah al-Hamid, who died on 23 April 2020 as a result of deliberate medical neglect during his unjust detention as a prisoner of conscience. 

ALQST calls for an impartial, prompt, thorough, independent and effective investigation into Saleh al-Shehi’s death, led by international experts. Furthermore, the Saudi authorities should immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience.

مشاركة المقال
آخر سكان قرية الخريبة يُطردون قسراً لصالح مشروع نيوم
في تصعيد جديد لسلسلة انتهاكات حقوق الإنسان المرتبطة بمشروع "نيوم"، أقدمت قوات أمن الدولة السعودية، مساء 16 يونيو 2025.
المنظمات غير الحكومية تُعرب عن مخاوفها بشأن مئات الأجانب المعرّضين لخطر الإعدام الوشيك في السعوديّة
نحن، المنظمات الموقعة أدناه، نُعرب عن بالغ قلقنا على حياة مئات السجناء المهددين بالإعدام الوشيك في السعوديّة على خلفيّة جرائم تتعلق بالمخدرات غير المميتة.
إعدام الصحفي السعودي يسلّط الضوء على استخدام عقوبة الإعدام لقمع المعارضة
أُعدم الصحفي السعودي تركي الجاسر بشكل مفاجئ في 14 يونيو، بعد سبع سنوات من الإخفاء القسري، وذلك بتهم غامضة تتعلق بالإرهاب والخيانة وتعريض الأمن القومي للخطر.