ALQST for Human Rights-Political Prisoners

Personal information

Sex: Male
Date of birth: 25 February 1985
Area of activity: ACPRA Member , Human rights activist
Place of residence: Al-Qaseem

Lawyer and human rights defender Abdulaziz al-Shubaily was one of the founding members of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) in 2009. He and his colleagues brought court cases on behalf of dozens of victims of injustice who had no one to take up their cases. Al-Shubaily also provided legal representation for other ACPRA members when they were later prosecuted.

Arrest and jail information

Prison: Onayza Prison, al-Qassim
Date of arrest: 17 September 2017

Trial information

Charges: The charges against him included “incitement against public order,” “insulting the judiciary,” “describing the ruling Saudi state ‘unjustly and wrongly’ as a police state,” and “participating in an unlicensed association.”
Court: Specialised Criminal Court (SCC)
Verdict: Resentenced to eight years in prison and eight-year travel ban.
Date of verdict: 29 May 2016

Violations

Arbitrary arrest/ detention ,
Denied access to a lawyer

Violation details

Al-Shubaily has suffered multiple instances of ill-treatment and harassment in prison, including two months in 2019 in a filthy punishment cell lacking even such basic amenities as access to fresh air and sunlight.

Timeline

07 November 2019 - He was transferred from Onayza prison to the High security Prison of Buraida criminal prison.
November 2019 - The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention raised concerns about the authorities’ reprisals against him for reporting to UN human rights mechanisms, and called on them to ensure his immediate release and provide him compensation and other reparations.
18 March 2019 - Al-Shubaily was transferred with a group of other prisoners to another location lacking even the most basic amenities. He was told he was being punished for two weeks. After nearly two months of detention in filthy conditions with no prospect of their situation changing, the men staged a five-day hunger strike from 16-21 May, calling it off when officials promised to address their demands.
December 2017 - UN officials raised serious concerns about al-Shubaily’s detention.
17 September 2017 - He was arrested after being kept out of prison.
17 September 2017 - The appeal Court upheld the sentence.
17 April 2017 - Al-Shubaily remained free on bail pending appeal, but was resentenced.
29 May 2016 - He was sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by an eight-year travel ban, and banned from writing.
July 2014 - He was formally charged and put on trial in the Specialised Criminal Court, which he consistently refused to recognise.
27 October 2014 - His trial began and was partly held in secret. He was denied access to a lawyer and the right to present evidence in court.
2013 - Al-Shubaily was interrogated a number of times in 2013 by the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution in Al-Qassim over his monitoring of human rights.