As September 2025 marks eight years since the arrest of Saudi relief activist Dalal Al-Khalil and her husband Ibrahim Aba Al-Khalil, Together for Justice expresses deep concern over their continued detention, which stands as one of the clearest examples of the regime’s systematic criminalization of peaceful humanitarian work.
On 28 September 2017, Saudi security forces raided their home in Al-Qassim without warning or judicial warrant. Their “crime” was organizing and distributing food aid baskets to impoverished families. Since then, the couple has remained behind bars, punished not for violence or unrest, but for choosing compassion over silence.
Dalal Al-Khalil is currently held in Tarfiya Prison, where she faces dire conditions: prolonged medical neglect, psychological abuse, starvation practices, and degrading treatment. Reports confirm her health has deteriorated severely, yet authorities continue to deny her adequate medical care.
Her humanitarian efforts—particularly organizing Ramadan food campaigns—were recast by the Saudi regime as a “security threat,” especially after she publicly defended her sister Dhiya Al-Khalil, who herself was arrested in 2014 for peacefully demanding the release of her detained sons. By targeting Dalal, her husband, and her sister, the authorities effectively criminalized an entire family whose only “offense” was speaking up and helping the vulnerable.
In 2021, the Specialized Criminal Court handed Dalal an 18-year prison sentence, further proving that in today’s Saudi Arabia, both words and deeds rooted in humanity are treated as crimes. Her husband Ibrahim remains detained under equally harsh conditions.
Their continued imprisonment constitutes a blatant violation of international law, including Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
Together for Justice calls for:
- The immediate and unconditional release of Dalal Al-Khalil and Ibrahim Aba Al-Khalil.
- An end to the persecution of humanitarian activists and rights defenders.
- Urgent medical care for all prisoners in critical condition.
- An end to the policy of collective punishment targeting entire families of detainees.
The case of Dalal Al-Khalil exposes a regime that brands compassion as subversion and turns acts of mercy into grounds for imprisonment. Eight years on, their ordeal is not just a personal tragedy, but a damning indictment of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.