The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) has received credible information confirming the release of human rights defender Israa Al-Ghomgham in Saudi Arabia.

On 06 August 2026, authorities released Al-Ghomgham after she served her full eight-year prison sentence.

On 06 December 2015, security forces raided Al-Ghomgham’s home and arrested her along with her husband, activist Mousa Al-Hashim. Both had participated in peaceful demonstrations in Qatif, the region that witnessed protests during the so-called Arab Spring in 2011.

On 06 August 2018, the first hearing of her trial was held, during which the Public Prosecutor, the official head of the Public Prosecution, demanded the death penalty. Following international pressure and sustained campaigns by human rights organisations, including GCHR, the Public Prosecution announced on 31 January 2019, that Al-Ghomgham would not face the death penalty.

On 10 February 2021, the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC) sentenced Al-Ghomgham to eight years in prison, followed by an eight-year travel ban upon completion of her sentence. She was 32 years old at the time of the verdict. (The photo above is from when she was a child.)

Her husband Moussa Al-Hashim remains imprisoned, despite his deteriorating health, serving a 17-year sentence.

The trial proceedings against both Al-Ghomgham and Al-Hashim lacked legal and human rights standards, as evidence was absent, the alleged charges against them were not substantiated, and they were denied legal representation.

Al-Ghomgham served her sentence in the General Intelligence Directorate prison in Dammam, where she had been detained since her arrest. During her years of arbitrary imprisonment, her health deteriorated, and she did not receive adequate medical care.

For more information on her case, see here and here.

GCHR expresses its profound relief at the release of human rights defender Israa Al-Ghomgham and calls on the Saudi authorities to immediately release her husband, activist Moussa al-Hashim, and all prisoners of conscience in the Kingdom.

GCHR also calls for the authorities to ensure that, under all circumstances, all human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia are able to carry out their legitimate human rights work without fear of reprisal.

GCHR also calls for the authorities to ensure that, under all circumstances, all human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia are able to carry out their legitimate human rights work without fear of reprisal.