The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) is following with great concern the medical neglect and physical abuse that prominent Saudi lawyer and human rights advocate Waleed Abu Al-Khair has been subjected to over the years. He was repeatedly subjected to several forms of ill-treatment and abuses at Dahban Prison in Jeddah City. Abu Al-Khair was a victim of beatings by inmates, solitary confinements, sleep deprivation, and denial of proper food and medical care. This frequent mistreatment caused Abu Al-Khair to go on several hunger strikes over the last few years without any prospects of the authorities responding to his demands. 

On 12 January 2015, the Specialised Criminal Court in Riyadh held a session in which it sentenced Abu Al-Khair, the founder of the Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (MHRSA) to serve 15 years in prison, followed by another 15 years of travel ban. Previously this had been 15 years in prison, with five years suspended, but the court removed the suspension and ordered that the full sentence should be served. Throughout the hearing his legs were shackled.

He was also ordered by the court to close all his websites and online accounts which were dedicated to advocate for human rights and document violations in Saudi Arabia. He was the first human rights advocate to be tried at the then newly-established Specialised Criminal Court that was tasked of ruling on terror-related crimes but often used to imprison human rights defenders.  

It’s worth mentioning that Abu Al-Khair explained in a letter he delivered to the Court on 26 June 2014 that he did not recognise the legitimacy of this court and  continued to hold this position during subsequent hearings. The jurisdiction of the Specialised Criminal Court is to deal with terrorism related cases, but it has increasingly been used to target human rights defenders.

Multiple trumped-up charges were brought against him including “antagonising international organisations against the kingdom,” relating to his engagement with international human rights mechanisms including the UN system, and “incitement of public opinion against authorities ,” “setting up and supervising an unlicensed association,” referring to MHRSA, and “preparing, storing and disseminating what would prejudice public order.”

Abu Al-Khair’s advocacy for human rights has been recently recognised by the Anna Dahlbäck’s Memorial Fund Award 2024. In explaining why he was given the award, the foundation said, “The Saudi Arabian lawyer Waleed Abu Al-Khair has, for many years, courageously and skillfully worked for fundamental democratic values in his home country. He has defended human rights both within the framework of his profession and through the independent human rights organisation MHRSA (Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia) that he established. The organisation is registered in Ontario, Canada, as it was denied a license in Saudi Arabia… The choice of Waleed Abu Al-Khair also aligns with the foundation’s statutory criteria: to make ‘contributions in the spirit of Anna Dahlbäck’ and demonstrate ‘significant commitment and courage’ in standing up for freedom of expression, opinion, and human rights.”

This recent award is an addition to a long list of awards that he received since 2012, including the Olof Palme Prize 2012, Law Society of Upper Canada Human Rights Award 2016, Right Livelihood Award 2018, the PEN Pinter International Writer of Courage prize in 2018, American Bar Association Award 2019, and the Geuzenpenning Award from Amnesty International-Netherlands 2020.

GCHR is calling for the Saudi authorities to:

1. Immediately drop all charges against Waleed Abu Al-Khair and enable him to carry on his advocacy for human rights without harassment;
2. Ensure that he receives timely and adequate medical care and proper living conditions while imprisoned; and
3. Respect the country’s commitment to international human rights treaties and foster a safe space for human rights advocates to carry on their mission.