Concern is growing for the fate and wellbeing of detained human rights defender Mohammed al-Qahtani, who has been denied any family contact since 24 October. The Saudi Arabian authorities have refused to give any information about him or his whereabouts, subjecting him to enforced disappearance.
This comes after al-Qahtani’s family filed a complaint about repeated assaults he has faced in al-Ha’ir Prison in Riyadh by prisoners suffering from mental health issues, whom the authorities have placed on the same wing as al-Qahtani and other prisoners of conscience. In May 2022 al-Qahtani was beaten up by a man on the wing with mental health issues, and in mid-2021 one of the prisoners on the wing attempted to start a fire.
The prison administration’s action in keeping the two groups in close proximity suggests a deliberate attempt to put the lives of prisoners of conscience at risk. Similar situations have led to wholly avoidable deaths, including that of Musa al-Qarni, who was horrifically murdered by an extremist inmate at Dhahban Prison in October 2021.
Al-Qahtani is serving a 10-year prison sentence, which is due to expire on 22 November 2022, on charges relating to his peaceful human rights work. In a worrying new trend, the Saudi authorities have continued to detain some prisoners of conscience beyond the expiry of their sentences, or have actually retried and increased the sentences of some already serving prison terms. This recent pattern raises concerns that al-Qahtani may face further similarly harsh punishment.
ALQST’s Head of Monitoring and Communications, Lina Alhathloul, comments: “Al-Qahtani has already faced years of cruel punishment for his brave activism, including repeated harassment and ill-treatment. Yet it seems the authorities are determined to punish him still further. The international community must stand in solidarity with one of Saudi Arabia’s leading reformers and press for his immediate release."
ALQST calls on the Saudi authorities to disclose the fate and whereabouts of Mohammed al-Qahtani and to release him immediately and unconditionally, along with all those arbitrarily arrested for peacefully exercising their fundamental freedoms.
