The Saudi authorities continue to detain academic Dr. Suleiman Al-Dawish in an unknown location, thus subjecting him to enforced disappearance.
Al-Dawish was arrested on April 22, 2016, for tweeting about the possible risks of parents giving their spoiled children excessive powers and responsibilities without monitoring and accountability. The Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, understood that he was referring to him and his father, King Salman, and ordered his arrest.
Al-Dawish was forcibly disappeared and subjected to severe torture during his detention until news of his death was spread in 2018. His fate remains unknown till this moment.
The authorities arrested also three of his sons. It arrested his son, Abdel Wahab Suleiman Al-Dawish, on August 14, 2021, when he went to the Public Prosecution Office to inquire about the fate of his father. He got released after about a year.
The authorities also arrested his son, Abdel Rahman Suleiman Al-Dawish, on November 4, 2021, for calling the Public Prosecution Office to ask about his father and brother, and he is still under arrest.
His third son, Malik Suleiman Al-Dawish, was arrested on July 5, 2022, after publishing several video calling for the release of his father and his two detained brothers. He was released in early September 2022, only to be rearrested after some weeks, and he is still in detention.
It should be noted that the Saudi authorities never reveal the conditions of many detainees, while news leaks confirm the health deterioration of many of them, or their exposure to torture and ill-treatment.