Eight years in solitary confinement for running a Telegram channel. Free Sheikh Awad Al-Qarni
In a blatant display of repression and judicial abuse, Saudi authorities have kept Sheikh Dr. Awad Al-Qarni—a respected legal scholar and preacher—in a narrow solitary confinement cell for nearly eight consecutive years, solely for expressing his opinions online. Arrested in 2017 during a coordinated purge of independent thinkers, scholars, and activists, Sheikh Al-Qarni has endured inhumane treatment without any legitimate charge or fair trial.
His so-called “crimes”? Managing a Twitter account under his real name, exchanging political and religious views via WhatsApp, and operating a Telegram channel—platforms used by millions around the world to express themselves freely. In Saudi Arabia, however, such peaceful digital expression has been twisted into accusations of rebellion and “threatening national security,” with the prosecution seeking the death penalty.
This persecution is not only an assault on one man, but a chilling message to an entire society: dissent is treason, and thought is punishable by death. The use of solitary confinement for nearly eight years—an act recognised internationally as a form of torture—exposes the regime’s brutal intent to break the body and spirit of anyone who dares to think independently. At over sixty years old, Sheikh Al-Qarni continues to be subjected to these degrading conditions without medical care, legal defence, or the basic right to speak to the outside world.
His case is not unique. It is part of a wider state-led war on free speech in Saudi Arabia, where citizens are sentenced to decades in prison for tweets, retweets, or private messages. The 34-year sentence of Salma Al-Shehab and the 45-year sentence of Noura Al-Qahtani prove that this repression is systematic, cruel, and expanding.
The Saudi regime must be held fully accountable for this ongoing crime. Sheikh Awad Al-Qarni must be released immediately and unconditionally. No state that claims legitimacy can imprison, torture, and threaten execution over words. We call on the international community, UN bodies, and global human rights organisations to stop enabling this tyranny through silence. The longer the world looks away, the longer innocent people like Sheikh Al-Qarni will suffer in darkness, simply for refusing to be silent.
