Human rights violations continued to be reported in Saudi Arabia, where dozens of critics, political activists, human rights advocates, and even non-political figures were detained.
In this context; the Saudi authorities launched over the past few weeks a massive arrest campaign, targeting clerics, lawyers, and football fans.
Lawyers Omar Al-Khouli and Tariq Al-Shami were among those detained for unknown reasons.
The arrests also included a number of preachers, including Khaled Al-Kathiri and Abdul-Rahman Al-Suwailem in Riyadh.
At the end of January, it was revealed that the Saudi authorities arrested the Yemeni activist Fahd Ramadan last November upon his arrival to Jeddah City, coming from the Netherlands.
Ramadan’s arrest came after an alleged WhatsApp conversation was leaked, during which he criticised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
At the beginning of February, the Saudi authorities also launched a large-scale arrest campaign targeting dozens of Al-Safa Club fans, in Safwa Cityin the Shiite-majority region of Qatif in the east of the Kingdom, after they chanted religious chants that the authorities considered “sectarian expressions.”
Notably, the Al-Safa Club’s Board of Directors was dissolved by the Saudi Federation in response to the chants, and the club was also fined.
Since 2017, the Saudi authorities have launched several arrest campaigns targeting thousands of citizens and residents, sentencing them up to 30 and 40 years imprisonment.
The Saudi authorities also arrested dozens of Palestinians and Jordanians for allegedly providing financial support to the Palestinian resistance.
