Fadhel Al-Manasef

A prominent young human rights defender, Al-Manasef was arrested in October 2011 and in 2014 was sentenced to 15 years in prison on various trumped-up charges, including organizing protests… More

Thumar Al-Marzouqi

Al-Marzouqi was seized in a home raid during a wave of arrests in April 2019, in what some believe was a crackdown on individuals supporting women’s rights in the… More

Sulaiman Al-Saikhan Al-Nasser

A banker and prominent analyst who was arrested in a wave of detentions targeting Saudi intellectual and reformist circles in mid-November 2019, Al-Nasser was released later that month after… More

Maha Al-Rafidi Al-Qahtani

In September 2019, Saudi authorities raided Al-Qahtani's home and have held her in arbitrary pretrial detention since. As of January 2020 she was reportedly held in solitary confinement and… More

Bader Al-Rashed

On November 16, 2019, Al-Rashed was one of ten writers and journalists arrested by Saudi officials. He had previously written about regional security issues. He was released later that… More

Nassima Al-Sadah

Al-Sadah is a columnist whose writing questioned the male guardianship system and advocated for greater rights for women, including the right to drive. In late August 2018, Al-Sadah was… More

Mohammed Al-Sadiq

One of several writers arrested in April 2019, Al-Sadiq previously wrote about sectarianism, conflict, and economic inequality in the region. He was also active in the movement to end… More

Ali Al-Saffar

Al-Saffar is one of several commentators and writers arrested in April 2019. He had previously written about the Syrian Civil War and regional conflicts but had not been active… More

Mohammed Saud Al-Bishr

Al-Bishr, a professor and commentator on politics and religion, was arrested in October 2017. Human rights monitors report that he was arrested for commenting on excessive censorship in media.… More

Abdulmajeed Al-Buluwi

A freelance political analyst, Al-Buluwi was arrested on November 16, 2019 as part of a wave of arrests of Saudi writers and bloggers. However, after media coverage and international… More