Saudi academic and preacher Dr Qasim Al-Qathrdi has died in the General Investigations Prison in the city of Abha, southern Saudi Arabia, following four years of imprisonment.
Al-Qathrdi, a retired professor from King Khalid University and the head of the “Taratil” Qur’an Memorisation Association, was arrested in 2021 as part of a wide-ranging crackdown that targeted intellectuals and academics in Abha.
The Saudi authorities charged him retroactively with attending a gathering (diwaniya) held by detained cleric Awad Al-Qarni, as well as possessing the book “So That There Will Be No Sedition” by the late thinker Ghazi Al-Gosaibi—a book widely circulated in Saudi cultural circles.
Human rights sources stated that Al-Qathrdi, who was sentenced to eight years in prison, had requested to be released on bail to serve the remainder of his sentence outside prison due to his old age and deteriorating health. However, the Saudi judiciary rejected his request.
Al-Qathrdi’s death has once again drawn attention to the conditions of political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, where in recent years several deaths have been recorded in custody as a result of medical negligence. Notable cases include human rights advocate Abdullah Al-Hamid and preacher Musa Al-Qarni.
These violations call for international intervention to pressure the Kingdom to uphold the rights of political detainees and ensure access to adequate healthcare, particularly for elderly and seriously ill prisoners.
