In a retaliation practice by the Saudi authorities, the security forces arrest the family members of thinkers, activists, and human rights advocates.
Dr. Safar al-Hawali has been subjected to this form of retaliation, as the security forces arrested his brother and three of his sons.
Moreover, recently, a Saudi Court of Appeal intensified the sentences issued against them with 10 years extra.
Thus, changing the sentence against Abdul Rahman Safar Al-Hawali from 7 years to 17 years, Abdullah Safar Al-Hawali from 6 years to 16 years, Abdul Rahim Safar Al-Hawali from 6 years to 15 years, and Saadallah Al-Hawali, brother of Dr. Safar Al-Hawali from 4 years to 14 years in prison.
The Saudi judiciary has not yet issued any rulings against Dr. Safar aA-Hawali himself, who has been detained since July 12, 2018, following the leak of an electronic copy of his book “Muslims and Western Civilization”, in which he criticised policies of the Saudi regime, and gave some advice to scholars and the ruling family. He also criticised spending millions of dollars on the U.S. administration under Trump.
In response, the Saudi authorities arrested him and two of his brothers and his sons Ibrahim, Abdul Rahim, Abdullah and Abdul Rahman, and subjected them all to enforced disappearance with their father. In February 2020, Ibrahim was released alone.
Recently, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) called on the Saudi authorities to immediately release Al-Hawali saying that “since his arrest, al-Hawali has had very few opportunities to communicate with his family,” adding that “because of the severe speech impairment he suffers from, he cannot communicate via phone calls, and the authorities have not taken any measures whatsoever to facilitate al-Hawali’s contact with his family. Moreover, the State Security Prosecution has allowed family visits intermittently and arbitrarily.”
“This ill-treatment is considered particularly harsh, given that Mr. Al-Hawali suffered from repeated strokes that led to permanent speech impairment, making it impossible for him to speak clearly or understand him.”
The statement added that “He also suffers from a pelvic fracture and kidney failure, which requires continuous medical care. Mr. Al-Hawali’s health conditions deteriorated severely immediately after his arrest.”, emphasizing that “despite his disability, old age and deteriorating health, he has since been denied medical care and is being held incommunicado.”
The statement highlighted the deliberate slow killing of Al-Hawali saying, “As a form of punishment for his criticism of the crown prince, Safar al-Hawali is practically left to die slowly in custody, cut off from the outside world and his loved ones, and living in fear of harassment and threats to his relatives”.
