The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) is following with concern the continuous detention and perpetual legal delays in the cases of many prominent scholars, clerics and others in Saudi Arabia since their mass arrest in 2017.

Last month, September 2025 marked the eight-year anniversary since a mass arrest of many prominent and influential figures in Saudi Arabia, shortly after Mohammed bin Salman (or MbS) became the Crown Prince and the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.

The group included many influential figures from all backgrounds and affiliations and sent a shock wave through Saudi civil society due to the brutality of the mass arrests, disappearances and reports of torture and ill treatment against the detainees.

Some of the detainees have been released on conditions of travel bans, ankle monitors and constant surveillance to ensure their voices are silenced in any activities on public affairs.

However, eight prominent figures remain detained and entangled in endless delays of due process since 2017. They include the prominent religious scholar Dr. Salman Al-Oudah and Dr. Awadh Al-Qarni, both of whom were long-term advocates for reforms and enjoyed massive popularity across the country and the Islamic world. There is also Hassan Farhan Al-Malki, one of the most well-known scholars who advocated for religious tolerance for several years.

The trials against the detainees reportedly started in September 2018. There were calls for the death sentence by the Public Prosecution against Dr. Al-Oudah, according to sources close to the family. However, the trials kept on being postponed until the lockdown in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the authorities informed the families not to attend the court sessions until they are informed of a new court schedule.

Until now, no court sessions were scheduled to decide on their cases. Dr. Al-Oudah, Dr. Al-Qarni and Al-Malki were kept since their arrest in solitary confinement. The ill treatment and limited access to medical care have been reported to have caused significant loss of vision and hearing to Dr. Al-Oudah.

In addition, the detention of Essam Al-Zamel continues. He is a renowned economist and writer who received awards for his work from the Saudi government shortly before his arrest. Al-Zamil was one of more than 30 journalists and writers who were arrested between September and November of 2017.

There were other well-known religious clerics and scholars such as Mohammed Al-Moussa Al-Shareef and Ibrahim Al-Nasser. This group was tried and sentenced to various prison terms.

GCHR is particularly concerned as there were reports of death of political prisoners in custody after medical neglect, such as the case of prominent human rights defender Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamid in 2020, or due to a suspicious altercation, such as the case of the religious scholar Mousa Al-Qarni in 2021, who was found dead with a broken skull in his cell.

Recommendations

GCHR renews its calls to the Saudi authorities to:

1. Release all the prisoners of conscience and ensure their ability to pursue peaceful advocacy and demands for reforms without legal harassment;
2. Ensure transparent and proper investigation in claims of abuse during interrogations or in custody to prevent serious deterioration of prisoners’ health or safety; and
3. Ensure access of all detainees to adequate due process in litigation and uphold standards of fair trials.