Dr Ali Hamza Al-Omari is a Saudi academic, Islamic scholar, media figure and human rights defender, prominent intellectual and former president of Mecca Al-Mukarramah Open University and founder of the 4Shabab television channel. He was arbitrarily arrested in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 09 September 2017 during a coordinated crackdown on religious figures, journalists and academics critical of state policies and advocating moderate religious discourse and social reform under broad anti-terrorism legislation that the authorities have used to criminalise peaceful expression and independent thought. He was taken from his home without a warrant by armed security personnel and subjected to prolonged solitary confinement for approximately 15 months, during which he was denied meaningful access to legal counsel and family contact. He reportedly endured severe torture and ill-treatment aimed at extracting confessions that would later form part of the prosecution’s case against him, and he was formally charged on or about 05 September 2018 with more than 30 counts, including “forming a terrorist youth organisation”, before the Specialised Criminal Court in Riyadh in a process that lacked basic standards of fairness and due process. Saudi prosecutors have continuously sought the death penalty against him for his peaceful opinions and media activities, and he remains detained without transparent judicial justification beyond politically motivated charges. Throughout his detention his health has reportedly deteriorated significantly due to deliberate medical neglect and poor prison conditions, including the development of serious illnesses such as kidney failure, prompting sustained concern from international rights organisations and repeated calls for his immediate release, access to necessary medical care and the dropping of all charges. As of early 2026, he has entered his ninth year of arbitrary detention with no confirmed final verdict or release date.