ًWhere is Abdullah Al-Daribi? Two years of enforced disappearance and Saudi authorities still manipulating in revealing his fate
Together for Justice is reiterating its demands to reveal the fate of Abdullah Al-Daribi, a young Saudi man who has been forcibly disappeared for two years at the State Security headquarters in Riyadh. Al-Daribi, 30, was summoned to the State Security Office for an investigation in May 2022 by Saudi security forces dressed in civilian clothing who broke into his Riyadh home. However, he has not yet returned.
First, the Saudi forces stormed the home and conducted a 15-minute search before taking his laptop and mobile device.
Later, Al-Daribi was called to the Saudi Presidency of State Security’s Riyadh office for an investigation. But ever since, he has not shown up.
His family and numerous human rights organisations asked the authorities to disclose his fate and whereabouts, but they all received the runaround. His legal situation has still not been resolved as of this writing.
Together for Justice emphasized that, in this regard, forcing detainees to disappear is deemed a crime against humanity, as stated in the Rome Statute that establishes the International Criminal Court for enforced disappearance. Additionally, enforced disappearance is defined by international human rights law as the abduction or imprisonment of an individual by a state, political organisation, or by a third party with the consent, support, or approval of a state or political organisation, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the victim’s whereabouts and fate in order to remove them from legal protection.
It also called on the international community to exert pressure on the Saudi authorities to uphold international human rights norms, such as ensuring that all detainees receive fair trials and have access to legal counsel.
It also urged the international community to stop cooperating with the Saudi regime until it offers concrete and serious guarantees to improve the human rights situation and to keep closely monitoring the situation and holding the Saudi government accountable for any human rights violations.
