Verdicts are expected to be handed down on 68 Palestinians and Jordanians associated with the Palestinian cause at the next session of their mass trial in the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC) in Riyadh. There are serious health concerns for many of them, who have been denied adequate medical care in detention since their arrest two years ago. The date for sentencing has yet to be confirmed.
The verdicts, which will be preliminary and subject to appeal, are expected to be handed down at the next session of the trial. The charges in the case mostly revolve around membership of or support for the Palestinian group Hamas or the Muslim Brotherhood, and collecting donations for Palestine. Although the Public Prosecutor has invoked the Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Cybercrime Laws, the charge sheet made no reference to any specific act of terrorism or violence. In practice, the vaguely formulated Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Cybercrime Laws are frequently used to stifle fundamental freedoms in Saudi Arabia.
The group were first brought before the SCC on 8 March 2020, in a mass trial that has been marred by numerous violations of international fair trial guarantees. Neither their relatives nor international observers from foreign embassies have been able to attend the trial, and there have been no independent lawyers present. The most recent set of court hearings took place between 30 December 2020 and 9 February 2021.
The individuals have been subjected to numerous violations in detention since their mass arrest early in 2019, including months of enforced disappearance, long periods in solitary confinement, and torture. There are serious health concerns for many of them, including 83-year-old Mohammed Saleh al-Khudari, a leading Palestinian official and long-term resident of Saudi Arabia who was undergoing post-operative cancer treatment at the time of his arrest in April 2019 and has been denied adequate medical care in prison. Other detainees are suffering from chronic conditions including hepatitis, diabetes, hypertension and arthritis, and are not receiving the healthcare they need.
ALQST’s Executive Director Alaa Al-Siddiq commented: “It’s time the Saudi authorities ended this cruel ordeal that these individuals have been subjected to for almost two years now. Instead, their deeply flawed trial drags on, with the authorities showing a total disregard for their health and wellbeing in detention.”
ALQST calls on the Saudi authorities to release the 68 individuals, drop the vague and spurious charges against them, and investigate the violations of their rights while in detention. ALQST holds the Saudi authorities responsible for the health and wellbeing of the detainees, who must be given access to the urgent medical care they require.
