Abdullah Al-Daribi Spends Two Years in Arbitrary Detention
On the sixth anniversary of Saudi Arabia’s crackdown campaign in September 2017, we remember a few names of those who were detained under comparable conditions.
The Saudi security forces typically tell the families of the detainees that the matter (arrest) would not take hours, claiming that the detainee would only need to respond to two straightforward questions before returning home. However, the situation quickly grew out of control and the hours turned into days, weeks, months, and eventually years. The families were later shocked to learn that while some of their loved ones were subject to harsh sentences and arbitrary detention, others were forced into disappearance, as was the case with Abdullah Al-Daribi.
Al-Daribi, 30, was summoned to the State Security Office for an investigation in May 2022 by Saudi security forces dressed in civilian clothing who broke into his Riyadh home. However, he has not yet returned.
First, the Saudi forces stormed the home and conducted a 15-minute search before taking his laptop and mobile device.
Later, Al-Daribi was called to the Saudi Presidency of State Security’s Riyadh office for an investigation. But ever since, he has not shown up.
His family and numerous human rights organisations asked the authorities to disclose his fate and whereabouts, but they all received the runaround. His legal situation has still not been resolved as of this writing.
In this regard, we call on the international community to exert pressure on the Saudi authorities to uphold international human rights norms, such as ensuring that all detainees receive fair trials and have access to legal counsel.
We also call on the international community to stop cooperating with the Saudi regime until it offers concrete and serious guarantees to improve the human rights situation and to keep closely monitoring the situation and holding the Saudi government accountable for any human rights violations.Abdullah Al-Daribi Spends Two Years in Arbitrary Detention
