Seven Years of Injustice: Saudi Engineer Detained and Disappeared for Advocating Disability Rights
Together for Justice strongly condemns the ongoing arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of Saudi citizen Abdullah Al-Khudaydi, who has now spent seven years behind bars simply for demanding justice, dignity, and fair opportunities for people with physical disabilities in Saudi society.
In July 2018, Al-Khudaydi posted a series of tweets voicing his concerns about the shrinking public space for individuals with disabilities and calling for greater inclusion in the labour market and wider society. Instead of engaging in dialogue or addressing the concerns raised, Saudi authorities responded with brutality—detaining him without legal basis and disappearing him from public view.
Since his arrest, Al-Khudaydi’s family has been left in the dark. All efforts to gain information about his whereabouts or the conditions of his detention have been stonewalled. This is particularly alarming given his serious health conditions, including a physical disability affecting his arm and a heart condition requiring constant medical care and appropriate living conditions. Yet the authorities have consistently refused to acknowledge his location or legal status, effectively subjecting him to enforced disappearance.
Abdullah Al-Khudaydi is a young Saudi engineer who earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Canada. Motivated by a desire to serve his country, he returned home to build a professional career and contribute to national progress. But rather than finding space to grow, he encountered systematic repression and exclusion. His peaceful attempt to advocate for marginalized voices led to his disappearance and ongoing detention in violation of every principle of justice and human rights.
Together for Justice renews its urgent appeal to international bodies, civil society organizations, and human rights defenders worldwide to take concrete action to expose and end the Saudi regime’s repressive practices. We call for the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience, including Abdullah Al-Khudaydi, and demand independent investigations into the human rights violations they have suffered in custody.
Allowing authoritarian regimes like the Saudi government to operate unchecked is not only a threat to their own citizens but to international peace and human dignity.
