Saudi writer Abdullah Al-Maliki has completed seven years behind bars for expression of his opinion.
Al-Maliki was arrested on fabricated charges in the September 2017 arrest campaign against academics and activists in the Kingdom, and received four-year prison sentences, and a travel ban.
The court charged Al-Maliki with several charges, including inciting public opinion, defending members of the Hasm human rights association, and possessing unauthorised books, and sentenced him to seven years in prison.
Al-Maliki suffers from difficult and inhumane detention conditions, where the authorities practice systematic abuse against him, and deprive him of his natural rights of having a fair trial and health care.
The “September Arrests Campaign” included a number of preachers and academics, such as Dr. Salman Al-Awda, Dr. Awad Al-Qarni, the Imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saleh Al-Talib, and Dr. Safar Al-Hawali. It also included thinkers and economists, such as Issam Al-Zamel, Jamil Farsi, and Mustafa Al-Hassan, who was later released due to his deteriorating health and cancer. It also included journalists and a number of activists, both male and female.
The Saudi authorities impose a blackout on the conditions of many detainees, while news leaks confirm the deterioration of the health of many of them, or their exposure to torture and ill-treatment.
Al-Maliki’s arrest due to his intellectual activity is a clear example of the Saudi authorities’ violation of human rights and freedom of expression, and the difficult circumstances that activists and human rights defenders face in countries that restrict freedom of expression.
The ongoing political arrests in Saudi Arabia require affirming the right of every individual to express their opinion and participate in public dialogue, without fear of arrest or punishment, and the importance of adhering to the legal system in any country respecting the principles of human rights and international humanitarian law that guarantee the protection of individuals from arbitrary arrest, torture, and cruel or inhuman treatment.
