Together for Justice: Eight Years Since the Arrest of Sheikh Naif Al-Sahafi… Unjust Verdict and Ongoing Violations

Together for Justice expresses its deep concern as September 2025 marks eight years since the arrest of the reformist and moderate preacher Sheikh Naif Al-Sahafi, who was detained in September 2017 as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s unprecedented crackdown on clerics, reformers, and independent voices linked to the “Sahwa” movement.

Al-Sahafi, widely known for his moderate and reformist discourse and for promoting a balanced and non-extremist approach, was never linked to violence or subversion. Despite this, he was subjected to arbitrary detention and years of enforced disappearance before the Specialized Criminal Court suddenly issued, in 2020, a 10-year prison sentence against him in a secret trial that lacked the most basic standards of justice. He was denied the right to defend himself, barred from appointing an independent lawyer, and never formally informed of clear charges or credible evidence.

Since then, Sheikh Al-Sahafi has been held under harsh and inhumane conditions: denied family visits, deprived of communication with his loved ones, and placed in total isolation. His news has been completely cut off for a long time, raising grave concerns about his health and wellbeing, particularly in light of repeated reports of medical neglect, ill-treatment, and abusive conditions faced by prisoners of conscience in Saudi prisons.

Together for Justice affirms that Al-Sahafi’s continued imprisonment constitutes a blatant violation of international law and of the treaties Saudi Arabia has ratified, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The ruling against him is illegitimate, being based on arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance, and must therefore be nullified under both legal and humanitarian principles.

On this painful anniversary, Together for Justice renews its urgent demands to the Saudi authorities to:

• Immediately and unconditionally release Sheikh Naif Al-Sahafi.
• Annul the unfair and secret judgment issued against him.
• Restore his full legal and human rights, including access to his family and lawyer.
• Open an independent and transparent investigation into the conditions of his arrest, trial, and detention.

Together for Justice holds the Saudi regime fully responsible for the safety and wellbeing of Sheikh Naif Al-Sahafi and calls on the international community and UN mechanisms to act urgently to end his suffering and to pressure the Saudi authorities to halt their systematic policy of arbitrary detention targeting reformists and independent voices.