Political Prisoners

Monitoring & Documentation

Monitoring & Documentation Salma al-Shehab released from prison, but must now be granted full freedom
Saudi PhD student Salma al-Shehab was released on 10 February 2025 after more than four years of arbitrary imprisonment on the basis of her peaceful online activism supporting women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.
2025-02-11
Monitoring & Documentation NGOs welcome the reduction of Salma al-Shehab’s sentence, but continue to call for her unconditional release
We welcome the recent decision by a Saudi court to reduce the jail sentence of Saudi prisoner of conscience Salma al-Shehab from 27 years to four years, with an additional four years suspended.
2025-01-15
Monitoring & Documentation Human rights defenders Mohammed al-Qahtani and Essa al-Nukheifi conditionally released
Saudi human rights defenders Mohammed al-Qahtani and Essa al-Nukheifi were conditionally released this week, after years of arbitrary imprisonment on the basis of their peaceful activism.
2025-01-10
Monitoring & Documentation Highest execution toll ever recorded in Saudi Arabia: over 300 individuals executed in 2024 so far
Saudi Arabia’s escalating use of the death penalty has reached horrifying levels in 2024, with at least 306 individuals executed as of 6 December, the highest known figure in Saudi history.
2024-12-09

Advocacy & Campaigns

Advocacy & Campaigns Saudi Arabia: Public Investment Fund Meeting Whitewashes Abuses
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is sponsoring an investment conference in Miami and further whitewashing the country’s egregious human rights record.
2025-02-19
Advocacy & Campaigns The AIMC must end its role in transnational repression
ALQST and the undersigned NGOs call on the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council (AIMC) to cease its facilitation of arbitrary extraditions of peaceful dissidents and across Arab League countries.
2025-02-17
Advocacy & Campaigns Joint letter to Secretary Rubio urgently calls on United States to help secure release of Ahmed Kamel
A coalition of 12 human rights organisations have sent a joint letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urgently calling on the Trump administration to help secure the immediate release of Ahmed Kamel.
2025-01-30
Advocacy & Campaigns Online hacks and censorship taint UN Internet Governance Forum in Riyadh
Concerns over Saudi Arabia’s suitability to host the 2024 IGF were confirmed, when two panel sessions that broached human rights issues were hacked and the content briefly deleted from the IGF website.
2024-12-23

Reports

Reports An Open Field for Violations: Saudi Arabia’s 2034 FIFA World Cup bid
ALQST’s briefing unpacks Saudi Arabia’s 2034 FIFA World Cup bid, finding that serious shortcomings in the bid documentation point to a real risk of widescale violations.
2025-01-13
Reports Submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Report submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in the context of the periodic review of Saudi Arabia
2024-11-22
Reports Submission to the CEDAW Committee in advance of Saudi Arabia's fifth periodic review
Report submitted to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and Girls (CEDAW) in the context of the fifth periodic review of Saudi Arabia.
2024-09-19
Reports The Saudi Diaspora: A growing community of emigrés and refugee
This report, richly illustrated with quotes, explores the reasons why increasing numbers of Saudi nationals are fleeing their wealthy country, and the continuing challenges they face while living abroad.
2024-08-01

ALQST In The Media

BBC
Salma al-Shehab
2025-02-10

Saudi PhD student freed after being jailed over posts, activists say

Shehab's release was first reported by ALQST, a UK-based Saudi rights group, which said she had been subjected to "four years of arbitrary imprisonmen...
Middle East Eye
Digital rights
2024-12-20

Why did online footage of a 'historic' UN panel in Riyadh disappear?

'How can we discuss internet governance if freedom of expression and security are undermined at the very forums meant to uphold them?' Lina Hathloul,...
France 24
Digital rights
2024-12-18

Activist tells Saudi-hosted UN forum of 'silencing' of dissent

"For today, an empty chair will have to represent my voice -- a stark symbol of the silencing faced by so many of us," said Hathloul, head of communic...
Deutsche Welle (DW)
Sportswashing
2024-12-11

World Cup 2034: Saudi Arabia's human rights failures ignored

Lina al-Hathloul, the head of monitoring and advocacy at ALQST, a Saudi human rights organization, says that the world should not be distracted by a m...
Guardian
Sportswashing
2024-10-21

Top female footballers urge Fifa to end deal with Saudi ‘nightmare sponsor’

Lina al-Hathloul, head of monitoring and advocacy at ALQST for Human Rights, said: “As long as Saudi Arabia’s authorities fail to genuinely respect wo...
Middle East Eye
Saudi diaspora
2024-08-01

Huge spike in Saudi Arabians seeking asylum since 2013, survey finds

The number of Saudi Arabians "fleeing their country and seeking asylum abroad" has spiked since 2013, according to a first-ever survey of its kind pub...
Dezeen
Neom
2024-06-01

Neom being "built on the blood of Saudis" says ALQST's Lina Alhathloul

"It is a project that is definitely not a priority for the Saudi people, given the current state of existing cities in the country," ALQST head of mon...
BBC
Women's rights
2024-05-01

Manahel al-Otaibi: Saudi women's rights activist jailed for 11 years

ALQST's head of advocacy Lina al-Hathloul said Manahel al-Otaibi's "confidence that she could act with freedom could have been a positive advertisemen...
Forbes
Freedom of expression
2024-03-27

Saudi Soccer Fans Go On Trial For Shia Chants

"While Western fans and sports stars visiting the kingdom may find themselves in a relative bubble, such freedom is not extended to the local populati...
France 24
Death penalty
2023-09-29

Relatives of detained Saudis urge 'ashamed' prince to act on cases

Lina al-Hathloul, head of monitoring and communication for the rights group ALQST, said there should be more transparency when it comes to how existin...
The Guardian
Sportswashing
2023-09-06

‘Fans have power’ –Newcastle faithful urged to speak up against Saudi regime

Lina al-Hathloul told an audience of around two dozen that challenging the Saudi regime over human rights abuses “can bring change” and it is possible...
NPR
Death penalty
2023-08-29

A Saudi man is sentenced to death after his tweets criticizing country's leadership

LINA AL HATHLOUL: Well, I think the message is clear, is you are not safe whatever you do, whoever you are. And you have to just muzzle yourself.