The Saudi activist Abdelrahman Al-Bakr (Al -Khaldi) is still on a hunger strike for the 24th consecutive day, in protest against his continued administrative detention in Bulgaria, at the request of the Saudi authorities.
The Bulgarian authorities detained Al-Khaldi after he applied for a political asylum on October 23, 2021, due to the risks he would face should he return to his country Saudi Arabia due to his political activity and critical views of the Saudi authorities since 2013.
Al-Khalidi went on a hunger strike on June 13, calling for his release, and protesting being handed over to the Saudi authorities known for its human rights violations.
In June, the Saudi authorities summoned some of Al-Khalidi family members to pressure him to stop criticising the Saudi regime. The Saudi authorities also showed them pictures of his children from his phone in Bulgaria and informed them that they had a copy of his phone, and they are aware of all his moves and contacts.
A United Nations special rapporteur recently accused the Saudi authorities of ongoing violations of human rights under the pretext of fighting terrorism, which it uses to arbitrarily detain citizens and restrict the freedom of opinion and expression.