Time continues to pass with no real resolution in the case of Saudi activist and dissident Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi, who has been detained in Bulgaria since October 2021. Nearly five years later, he remains trapped between prolonged detention and the looming threat of deportation to Saudi Arabia, where he could face torture, enforced disappearance, long-term imprisonment, or even execution.
Together for Justice stresses that Al-Khalidi’s case is no longer merely a pending asylum file. It has become a direct test of Bulgaria’s and Europe’s commitment to protecting dissidents from forced return to countries where their lives and safety may be at serious risk. Every additional day in detention deepens the danger surrounding him and increases the possibility that he could be handed over to a state known for persecuting dissidents and critics.
In a recent development, 18 members of the European Parliament sent an official letter to the Bulgarian Prime Minister calling for Al-Khalidi’s immediate release and the granting of international protection. The MEPs warned that his continued detention is inconsistent with Bulgaria’s legal and humanitarian obligations. Their intervention comes amid growing concern that Bulgarian authorities have ignored previous court decisions ordering his release, raising serious questions about respect for the rule of law when politically sensitive cases are involved.
Al-Khalidi’s case dates back to 2021, when Bulgarian authorities detained him after he entered the country from Turkey and applied for asylum on the basis of his fear of persecution in Saudi Arabia due to his political and media activism. Since then, he has been held at the Busmantsi detention center near Sofia, in conditions described by human rights reports as harsh and inhumane. Instead of receiving the protection expected from a European state, he has faced years of uncertainty, pressure, and detention.
Over the past years, his case has been marked by a series of contradictory decisions and procedures. The Administrative Court in Sofia reportedly ordered his release on more than one occasion, yet the executive authorities failed to implement those decisions and continued to hold him. In September 2025, his administrative detention was extended again on unclear security grounds, despite the absence of a transparent basis justifying such a prolonged deprivation of liberty.
A previous decision to deport him to Saudi Arabia in October 2024 triggered widespread criticism because it ignored the well-documented risks faced by Saudi dissidents who are forcibly returned. Although the court later ordered his release, the decision was not implemented. This contradiction between judicial rulings and executive conduct reflects a serious legal disorder and strengthens fears that political pressure may be influencing the handling of the case.
Together for Justice warns that Al-Khalidi’s case can no longer tolerate delay. He is not simply a detainee in an administrative center; he is a known Saudi dissident who has expressed political views and criticized the authorities in his country. If returned to Saudi Arabia, he would face a real and foreseeable risk. The experience of dissidents and activists who have been returned or forcibly sent back to the kingdom shows that deportation in such cases does not mark the end of an immigration procedure; it may mark the beginning of disappearance, torture, unfair trials, and severe punishment.
During his detention, Al-Khalidi has reportedly suffered multiple violations, including denial of adequate healthcare, restrictions on communication with his lawyers, and repeated pressure linked to deportation proceedings. He also carried out a prolonged hunger strike in protest against his detention and mistreatment, leading to deterioration in his health and further concern for his physical and psychological safety.
From a legal perspective, any decision to deport Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi to Saudi Arabia would constitute a clear violation of the principle of non-refoulement, a cornerstone of international law that prohibits returning anyone to a country where there are substantial grounds to believe they may face torture, persecution, or cruel and inhuman treatment. This principle cannot be overridden by political convenience, diplomatic pressure, or security claims that are not transparent and subject to proper scrutiny.
Together for Justice stresses that the continued detention of Al-Khalidi despite court decisions ordering his release, combined with the ongoing threat of deportation, represents a double violation: arbitrary deprivation of liberty on one hand, and a direct threat to his right to life and safety on the other. The failure of the executive authorities to comply with judicial rulings also undermines not only Al-Khalidi’s rights, but the credibility of Bulgaria’s legal system itself.
Together for Justice calls on the Bulgarian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi, halt all deportation proceedings against him, and grant him full international protection in accordance with Bulgaria’s obligations under international law and European human rights standards.
The organization further calls on the European Union, the European Parliament, the European Commission, and relevant United Nations mechanisms on refugees, arbitrary detention, and torture to act urgently to prevent his deportation and ensure respect for Bulgarian court decisions. This is no longer a purely domestic Bulgarian matter. It is a European test: will Europe protect a dissident facing a real threat, or will it allow him to be returned to a state known for repression and retaliation?
Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi does not have the luxury of waiting. Every delay in his case may translate into a direct threat to his life. If Bulgaria allows his deportation to Saudi Arabia, it will not simply be closing an asylum case; it will be delivering a dissident to a government that may punish him for his views and activism. That responsibility cannot be justified legally, politically, or morally.