Eight Years Since the Arrest of Businessman Saleh Manqoush: Saudi Authorities Continue to Conceal His Whereabouts and Legal Status
Together for Justice renews its call for the immediate disclosure of the fate and whereabouts of Saudi businessman Saleh Mabrouk Omar Manqoush, director of Al-Naqaa Trading Establishment in Jeddah, whose news has been completely cut off since his arrest in 2018.
According to available information, Manqoush was arrested in May 2018, while other accounts indicate that his detention began in June of the same year. In either case, more than eight years have now passed without any clear information regarding his place of detention, legal status, health condition, or the reasons for his arrest.
The continued silence of the Saudi authorities raises serious concerns about his safety and well-being. His family has been left without answers for years, with no official clarification as to whether he has been charged, brought before a judicial authority, granted access to a lawyer, or allowed regular communication with his relatives.
From a legal perspective, holding an individual for years while refusing to disclose his whereabouts or legal status constitutes a grave violation of the right to liberty and security of person. If the authorities continue to deny or conceal information about his detention, the case may fall within the framework of enforced disappearance, one of the most serious violations under international human rights law.
The case of Saleh Manqoush highlights a broader pattern in Saudi Arabia, where individuals can disappear after arrest with no transparency, no judicial safeguards, and no meaningful accountability. This pattern does not only affect political activists or public critics; it also extends to businessmen and ordinary citizens whose cases remain hidden from public scrutiny.
Together for Justice calls on the Saudi authorities to immediately disclose Saleh Manqoush’s place of detention, clarify his legal and health status, and allow him immediate access to his family and a lawyer of his choosing. The organization also calls for his release unless he is formally charged with a recognizable criminal offence and tried before an independent court in proceedings that meet international fair trial standards.
More than eight and a half years of silence over the fate of a detained businessman cannot be treated as an administrative matter. It is an ongoing violation that requires truth, accountability, and immediate action.
