Waleed Abu al-Khair of Saudi Arabia
Summary of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Opinions on arbitrary detentions in Saudi Arabia[1]
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) in Opinions published between 2002 and 2018 identified 105 adults and four minors as arbitrarily detained in Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia Opinions) and recommended immediate release as the appropriate remedy required by international law.[2] In 53 of the 55 Saudi Arabia Opinions published between 2002 and 2018, the WGAD concluded that the detention of the person(s) who were the subject of the review, was arbitrary.[3] The two cases where the WGAD did not reach this conclusion were:
- a) a case where the person had already been released at the time of the review ((Tawfiq Ahmad Ali Al Sabary, A/HRC/WGAD/2014/18); and,
- b) the case involving Dr. Abdullah b. Ibrahim b. Abd El Mohsen Al-Rayyes, Dr. Said b. Mubarek b. Zair, Mr. Jaber Ahmed Abdellah al-Jalahma and Mr. Abderrahman Al-Lahem, Opinion No.22/2005.
Thirteen individuals were specifically identified in the Saudi Arabia Opinions human rights defenders, namely::
- Waleed Abulkhair
- Abdullah al-Hamid
- Mohammed al-Qahtani
- Mohammad Salih Al Bajadi
- Khaled Al-Omeir
- Thamer Ben Abdelkarim Alkhodr
- Ali Khassif Saïd Al Qarni
- Matrouk b. Hais b. Khalif Al-Faleh
- Saud Mukhtar Al-Hashimi
- Faiz Abdelmoshen Al-Qaid
- Mazen Salah ben Mohamed Al Husayn Al Tamimi
- Khalid Ahmed Al-Eleq
- Majeed Hamdane b. Rashed Al-Qaid.
The annual reports of the WGAD from 2002 to 2019[4] record the release of only eight of the people whose detention was determined to be arbitrary in the Saudi Arabia Opinions. Two of the people released, Dr. Matrouk b. Hais b. Khalif Al-Faleh and Thamer Ben Abdelkarim Alkhodr are amongst the people identified as human rights defenders. Listed in the annual reports of the WGAD up to and including 2018 as released are:
- Zakaria Mohammed Ali detained 20 April 2013, release for exile to Somalia 17 March 2014;
- Tawfiq Ahmad Ali Al Sabary detained 11 June 2013, released 20 February 2014;
- Chérif Al Karoui and,
- Hichem Matri detained 27 May 2010, released 7 November 2011;
- Mohamed bin Abdullah bin Ali Al-Abdulkareem detained 5 December 2010, released in 2011;
- Thamer Ben Abdelkarim Alkhodr, detained 3 March 2010, released in 2011;
- Mohamed Abdullah Al Uteibi, detained 3 January 2009, released 2011;
- Matrouk b. Hais b. Khalif Al-Faleh detained 17 March 2004, released in 2005 and arrested 19 May 2008 and released in 2008
[1] Prepared for LRWC by Natasha Rynestad-Stahl and Gail Davidson.
[2] See Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention online at https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Detention/Pages/OpinionsadoptedbytheWGAD.aspx
[3] See Fact Sheet No. 26, The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Section IV.B for categories of arbitrary detention. Online at https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/FactSheet26en.pdf
[4] The WGAD Annual Reports can be accessed online at https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Detention/Pages/Annual.aspx
