Today is the birthday of Saudi humanitarian aid worker Abdulrahman Al-Sadhan. It is the fourth birthday spent behind bars for his peaceful online activism. Abdulrahman’s family has been tirelessly advocating for his immediate and unconditional release, along with a coalition of organizations, including the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). HRF remains committed in its calls for Abdulrahman Al-Sadhan’s freedom and calls on the international community to speak out against his sentence and call for his release.
Abdulrahman was arbitrarily detained in March 2018 and was forcibly disappeared for three years, where he allegedly endured torture and other forms of ill-treatment, including sexual assault. He was targeted as part of a crackdown on peaceful activists, government critics, and online commentators in Saudi Arabia. The charges against him were in connection with tweets from a parody Twitter account that criticized the Saudi Arabian government’s repression.
Last month, he was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment, followed by a 20-year travel ban, and has not had contact with his family since April 5,2021. On May 4, 2021, Abdulrahman’s family filed the appeal of his sentence. The date of his hearing has not been scheduled yet and his family has been informed that he will not be permitted to have any communication with them until his hearing date.
On his birthday, Abdulrahman’s rights remain violated and he continues to face injustice. He should not endure another birthday in prison.
Join HRF’s call for Abdulrahman’s immediate and unconditional release by watching and sharing this video from Abdulrahman’s sister, Areej Al-Sadhan.
Learn more about how you can take action on this website.
Read and share this op-ed by Areej about her brother.