ALQST has learned that human rights activist Khaled al-Omair has had his prison sentence increased from seven years to nine, and may be facing new charges related to things he has written in prison.
On 16 August 2021 the Court of Appeal increased al-Omair’s prison term from seven years to nine, to be followed by a nine-year travel ban. No reason for this ruling has been given, but ALQST understands that the Public Prosecution is still calling for his sentence to be increased even further.
ALQST has also learned that the authorities may be about to bring new charges against al-Omair, concerning his writings while in jail, which could lead to a further prison sentence. During his time in Al-Ha’ir Prison, al-Omair has smuggled out various communiqués denouncing the Saudi courts and the Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Cybercrime Laws under which he was arrested and tried, and declaring his trial and sentencing illegitimate.
An attempt was recently made to kill al-Omair in prison, and although the authorities said they would investigate the incident they do not appear so far to have done anything about it.
Khaled al-Omair was arrested in June 2018 after filing a complaint with the Royal Diwan against those responsible for his being tortured during a previous eight-year prison term. He was detained without charge for many months, and went on hunger strike in protest. He eventually appeared before the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC), the Saudi terrorist court, on 8 September 2020.
The SCC sentenced al-Omair on 25 April 2021 to seven years in prison, to be followed by a seven-year ban on foreign travel, solely for his peaceful activism. Among the charges against him were that he had launched a hashtag on Twitter in Arabic saying “The People Want a New Constitution” and that he had led a campaign to incite the people against the country’s leadership. The sentence was issued as a preliminary ruling, subject to appeal within 30 days, and the Court of Appeal has now issued an even harsher sentence.
This latest ruling comes amid a sustained crackdown in recent months on human rights defenders and peaceful critics of the authorities. Several – including Israa al-Ghomgham, Mohammed al-Rabiah, Abdulrahman al-Sadhan and Mohammed al-Otaibi – have been brought to trial, given long prison sentences, or had their convictions upheld or their sentences increased on appeal.
ALQST’s Acting Director Nabhan Al-Hanshi commented: “The additional sentence and potential new charges are the latest in a series of harsh measures against Khaled al-Omair, showing the vindictiveness of the Saudi authorities towards peaceful activists. It is vital for the international community to speak out against such abuses and urge Saudi Arabia to release al-Omair and all other prisoners of conscience.”
ALQST urges the Saudi authorities to respect and protect freedom of conscience and expression, and calls on them to immediately and unconditionally release al-Omair and all other prisoners of conscience, and to quash the spurious charges against him.
