Saudi Arabia Among World’s Most Repressive Countries for Free Expression, with 20 Writers Jailed and Others Facing Persecution

(Note: The press release is translated into Arabic below the English version)

(NEW YORK)— Saudi Arabia continues to figure prominently as one of the most world’s worst jailers of writers, with at least 20 behind bars, according to PEN America’s 2022 Freedom to Write Index. Saudi Arabia also occupies one of the top five positions in PEN America’s Writers at Risk database, making it one of the most repressive environments in the world for free expression.

Detained writers, journalists and online commentators continued to serve long prison terms— or sit behind bars indefinitely, sometimes without formal charges. Those who are released are frequently subject to vague post-release conditions that consign them to silence after they leave their cells. More broadly, Saudi authorities continued to sentence ordinary citizens to decades in prison for peaceful activism or social media activity, even as the international community signaled a willingness to move on from the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and renew ties with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he bolstered Saudi Arabia’s presence on the international stage.

Justin Shilad, PEN America’s research and advocacy lead for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “Saudi Arabia’s continued presence in the PEN America Freedom to Write index points to the government’s ongoing efforts to entirely stamp out writing or expression that it can’t control. The small overall decrease in imprisoned individuals in the Index points more to Saudi authorities’ successful intimidation of writers, journalists, online commentators and songwriters rather than any change of direction in their attitude towards free expression. By sentencing people to decades in prison for tweets or Wikipedia edits, Saudi authorities have made clear the lengths they will go to silence potential critics. The international community must seriously consider the implications of business as usual with a government that has erased independent cultural space.”

In 2022, 311 writers were jailed globally according to PEN America’s 2022 Freedom to Write Index, the year-end count of imprisoned writers worldwide. Throughout the year, PEN America documents cases of detained and threatened writers around the world and looks at emerging and country-specific trends that governments deploy in an attempt to muzzle writers and artists. PEN America’s database contains 813 active cases from over 80 countries of writers, poets, online commentators, journalists at risk for their writing and expression.

Of the 20 cases in PEN America’s Index, only one, Omar Shiboba, was newly detained in 2022, and the total number was down from 36 in the previous year as Saudi authorities released individuals who had either completed their sentences or had been detained without trial. Some of those released continued to face onerous restrictions: blogger Raif Badawi remained under a 10-year travel ban, potentially keeping him separated from his family for a further decade. Notably, two cases in the index, Osama Khaled and Ziyad al-Sofiani, were sentenced to 32 years and eight years in prison respectively for editing and writing Wikipedia pages as volunteer administrators for the site.

Saudi courts sentenced others, such as Selma al-Shehab and Nourah al-Qahtani, to decades-long prison terms, simply for following or retweeting certain accounts on Twitter. Such sentences underscored the extent to which Saudi authorities were willing to go to control expression in the Kingdom, and in particular online space. These efforts, in turn, have also further contributed to self-censorship among ordinary Saudis. As authorities continue to extensively deploy spyware, they have also used citizen services apps and smart cities projects to further entrench a surveillance state.

Yet despite the shrinking space for free expression in Saudi Arabia, the government continues to expand its footprint on the international stage. The Saudi government has announced a joint bid for the 2030 FIFA Men’s World Cup with Egypt and Greece, and the Kingdom continued to host music and cultural events in 2022. The international community’s ongoing willingness to participate in such events and continue collaboration with bin Salman signals that concerns over draconian prison sentences for writers and the lack of justice for Khashoggi’s murder are increasingly things of the past. Without global pushback, the Saudi government’s hard line towards free expression is likely to remain in place.

The international community must continue to raise the cases of writers behind bars in Saudi Arabia, and companies and cultural groups taking part in cultural and sporting events in the Kingdom should not let the government’s outward projection of openness distract them from asking questions about censorship and surveillance. Additionally, the international community must insist on a meaningful path to justice for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder before deepening relations.

About PEN America’s Freedom To Write Index and Writers at Risk Database

PEN America’s Freedom To Write Index, now in its fourth year, includes case studies of detained writers, an overview of global trends, and country specific threats to writers and free expression. It complements the PEN America’s Writers at Risk Database which catalogs writers, journalists, artists and public intellectuals under threat around the world.

About PEN America

PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. To learn more visit PEN.org