Saleh Al‑Ashwan is a Saudi human rights defender and founding member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, arrested on 07 July 2012 after leaving dawn prayers in Riyadh. He was held incommunicado for roughly two months, denied legal counsel, and subjected to torture (including beatings, being stripped, and suspended by limbs from the ceiling of an interrogation room) before standing trial at the Riyadh Specialized Criminal Court on vaguely defined charges such as defending women’s rights, insulting the judiciary, forming an illicit organisation, and communicating with international actors. In 2016, Al‑Ashwan was sentenced to five years imprisonment, a five‑year travel ban, and a fine of 10,000 SAR (around 2500 dollars). He was released on 06 April 2018 after completing his prison term, though the travel ban remained in place as of mid‑2025.