Saudi authorities have released teacher Asaad bin Nasser Al-Ghamdi after more than two years of arbitrary detention for expressing his opinions on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The non-governmental organization Prisoners of Conscience confirmed his release on X, saying, “We confirm that Saudi authorities have released Asaad Nasser Al-Ghamdi, the brother of well-known dissident Dr Saeed Al-Ghamdi, after nearly two and a half years in prison.”
“We congratulate Al-Ghamdi and his honorable family for his release, and may the same happen to all prisoners of conscience,” it added.
Forty-seven-year-old Al-Ghamdi was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted by Saudi Arabia’s counter-terrorism tribunal of “challenging the religion and justice of the King and the Crown Prince” and “publishing false and malicious news and rumours.”
He was arrested on November 20, 2022, during a nighttime raid on his home in the al-Hamdaneyah neighborhood of Jeddah.
During his imprisonment, Al-Ghamdi endured harsh conditions, including
- Held incommunicado for extended periods
- Three months in solitary confinement
- Limited family visits, with the first occurring in January 2023
- Denial of medical care, which worsened his epilepsy, causing multiple seizures.
Al-Ghamdi is the brother of Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, who was sentenced to death in 2023 for “denouncing corruption and human rights violations” in Saudi Arabia on social media. In September 2024, his death sentence has been overturned and replaced with a 30-year prison term.
A third brother, Saeed bin Nasser Al-Ghamdi, a renowned Saudi Islamic scholar and government critic, currently lives in exile in the United Kingdom (UK).
Saudi authorities often target the families of foreign critics and dissidents to pressure them into returning to the country.
Since Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) became Crown Prince in June 2017, the Kingdom has witnessed a surge in arrests of:
- Imams
- Women’s rights activists
- Members of the ruling royal family
- Social media users critical of the government
Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on free speech has drawn global condemnation, with activists, journalists, and academics frequently subjected to harsh prison sentences over their social media activity.
