Abdel Mohsen Al-Ahmed- Years of Imprisonment and Abuse for Refusing to Boycott Qatar
Four years ago, specifically during the September 2017 arrests campaign, the largest repressive campaign in the country that affected dozens of intellectuals and activists, the Saudi security services arrested the preacher Doctor AbdelMohsen bin Mohamed bin Abdullah Al-Ahmed, and since then he has been suffering in Saudi prisons and is denied all his basic rights, only for his refusal to boycott Qatar.
Dr. Abdel Mohsen Al-Ahmed, Senior Specialist Anesthesia at King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh, was arrested on September 12, 2017, and during that period he faced psychological insults and constant abuse by the administration of the detention facility, and was denied visits to his family, and not allowed to contact them.
The family cannot confirm his health or safety due to the lack of communication with him, however, his detention has negatively affect his physical and psychological health prisoners of conscience.
Nearly a year after his arrest, Al-Ahmed was brought before the Specialized Criminal Court for the first time in a secret session that was not attended by his parents or lawyers, and the Public Prosecution charged him with a number of loose charges, and demanded the imposition of a heavy punishment against him, such as killing as a disciplinary measure or imprisonment for a long time with travel ban against him and a number of other detainees, such as Nayef Al-Sahafi, Mohmed Abdelaziz Al-Khudairi, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Harthy, Mohamed Musa Al-Sharif, and preacher Gharam Al-Bishi.
Al-Ahmed was exposed to a number of legal violations that violate the Saudi Code of Criminal Procedure itself, where he was subjected to intimidation, which violates the text of Article (40) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which guarantees the sanctity of individuals.
Article (116) of the Saudi Code of Criminal Procedure, which stipulates that the defendant be informed of the charges against him at the time of his arrest, was also violated.
In addition to the violation of Article (4) of the Criminal Procedure Law, which states: Every accused has the right to seek the assistance of a representative or a lawyer to defend him in the investigation and trial stages.
It is reported that Dr. Abdel Mohsen Al-Ahmed was subjected to enforced disappearance for a period of 3 months, and the family was unable to communicate with him or know the place of his arrest, as he was placed inside the secret detention facility, after which they were informed of his place of detention, but with denial of visits, and currently, he is being tried before the Specialized Criminal Court, but without formally disclosing the charges against him or allowing his family to view his case file.
\we call on the Saudi authorities to release all prisoners of conscience and political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, to ensure that all of them obtain all their rights, and to open transparent and independent investigations into any violations they have been subjected to.
