Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Activists protesting the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi hold a candlelight vigil outside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018. The poster reads in Arabic:' Khashoggi's Friends Around the World'. A group of Arab and international public, political and media figures are establishing a global association called "Khashoggi's Friends Around the World"; "to achieve justice for the freedom martyr"
AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

What You Need to Know

Among those who have been detained and faced charges as a result of their activism are the 2019 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award honorees Eman Al-Nafjan, Loujain Al-Hathloul, and Nouf Abdulaziz. Even after release, many writers face travel bans and restrictions on their expression.

The murder of exiled Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Türkiye in 2018 sparked an international outcry and showed the horrific lengths to which the Saudi regime will go to silence its critics. 

The use of draconian sentences against social media users indicates authorities’ interest in closing all avenues for unsanctioned expression.

Individual Cases

  • Jamal Khashoggi

    Murdered

    After the exiled Saudi columnist’s brutal murder in Istanbul in October 2018, journalists and advocacy groups mobilized worldwide to ensure… More


  • Ashraf Fayadh

    Released

    Fayadh, a poet and artist, was jailed on charges of apostasy for writing about humanistic themes in his poetry collection… More


  • Ali Al-Domaini

    Deceased

    Pro-democracy activist Al-Domaini was arrested in March 2004 for criticizing Saudi Arabia’s National Commission of Human Rights and planning to… More


  • Eman Al-Nafjan

    On Trial

    Columnist Al-Nafjan was detained in May 2018 in relation to her women’s rights advocacy. While in prison, she was reportedly… More


  • Raif Badawi

    Conditional Release

    Badawi was arrested in 2012 and sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for “insulting Islam” and “founding… More


  • Nouf Abdulaziz

    Conditional Release

    Columnist and women’s rights activist Abdulaziz was arrested and detained in June 2018. While in detention, she was reportedly tortured… More


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PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award 2019 Honorees

Writers Nouf Abdulaziz, Loujain Al-Hathloul, and Eman Al-Nafjan were honored with the 2019 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award. These writer-activists have been subjected to imprisonment, solitary confinement, and torture by the Saudi Arabian government as part of its brutal crackdown on individuals who raise their voices in defense of women’s rights in the Kingdom.

Advocacy

  • SIGN NOW: Demand Charges be Dropped Against Three Saudi Writer-Activists

    Monday May 13
  • Joint Letter Urges Access and Transparency in Ongoing Trial for Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder

    Monday April 8

Experts