Six Years On: Saudi Authorities Continue to Detain Faisal Al-Shamrani for Demanding a Job

Together for Justice marks the sixth anniversary of the arrest of Saudi youth Faisal Al-Shamrani, who was detained in November 2019 after posting tweets on social media calling for employment opportunities and criticizing widespread unemployment among young people in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Shamrani, a young Saudi university graduate, used his personal Twitter account to express frustration at the growing unemployment crisis and to call for fair and transparent job opportunities. Instead of addressing his legitimate concerns, Saudi authorities responded with arbitrary arrest, raiding his home and taking him to an undisclosed location without a warrant or any legal justification.

Since his detention, authorities have refused to reveal his whereabouts or provide information about his case, amid credible reports that he has been subjected to mistreatment, torture, and prolonged incommunicado detention. He has not been allowed access to his lawyer or family, and no public trial has been held — a blatant violation of both Saudi domestic law and international legal standards.

Together for Justice asserts that Faisal Al-Shamrani’s arrest and continued detention are part of a systematic policy of silencing citizens who express their views peacefully. Since Mohammed bin Salman became Crown Prince in 2017, Saudi Arabia has witnessed an unprecedented surge in arbitrary arrests targeting activists, journalists, academics, and even ordinary citizens who voice mild criticism or simple demands for reform.

Keeping Al-Shamrani imprisoned for six years merely for demanding employment underscores the criminalization of expression in Saudi Arabia and the state’s growing intolerance toward any form of public discourse. His case reveals the stark contradiction between the regime’s rhetoric of “reform and modernisation” and its persistent repression of free speech.

Together for Justice holds Saudi authorities fully responsible for Faisal Al-Shamrani’s safety and well-being, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release, along with all other prisoners of conscience. The organisation further urges the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and the European Union to exert meaningful pressure on Riyadh to disclose the fate of detainees held without trial and to uphold its international human rights obligations.

Six years have passed, yet Faisal Al-Shamrani remains behind bars — punished not for a crime, but for a tweet calling for a chance to work.