Eight Years of Detention and Abuse: The Case of Aida Al-Ghamdi Exposes Collective Punishment Against Families of Dissidents in Saudi Arabia

Together for Justice strongly condemns the continued detention of Saudi national Aida Al-Ghamdi and her son Adel Al-Ghamdi since 2018, in a case that reflects a systematic pattern of collective punishment targeting the families of dissidents. After eight years of detention, both remain deprived of their liberty in the absence of a credible legal basis or fair judicial process.

According to available information, Aida Al-Ghamdi—an elderly woman—was arrested in March 2018 alongside her son Adel, without clear charges and without being brought before an independent judicial authority. Their detention is directly linked to the activities of her other son, Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, who resides abroad. Since then, their continued imprisonment has effectively been used as a tool of pressure against him.

Reports indicate that Aida Al-Ghamdi has been subjected to severe forms of physical abuse and ill-treatment during her detention, despite her advanced age and pre-existing health conditions, including chronic illnesses. Her son Adel has also reportedly faced serious violations, including prolonged solitary confinement and physical and psychological abuse, in conditions that fall far below international standards.

To date, there is no clear information regarding their legal status or the existence of fair and transparent judicial proceedings in their case. Their prolonged detention, coupled with the absence of due process guarantees, raises serious concerns about their safety and well-being and underscores the arbitrary nature of their imprisonment.

From a legal perspective, the arrest and detention of Aida and Adel Al-Ghamdi on the basis of their familial relationship to a dissident constitutes a direct violation of the principle of individual criminal responsibility and amounts to collective punishment, which is prohibited under international law. Furthermore, the reported acts of torture and ill-treatment, along with prolonged detention without trial, represent grave breaches of the right to liberty and security of person, the prohibition of torture, and fair trial guarantees.

This case illustrates a broader pattern in which detention and abuse are used as instruments of coercion against families of political opponents, undermining the foundations of justice and transforming state institutions into tools of retaliation rather than protection.

Accordingly, Together for Justice calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Aida Al-Ghamdi and her son Adel, the cessation of all forms of torture and ill-treatment, and full disclosure of their legal and health conditions. The organization also urges an end to the practice of collective punishment against families of dissidents and calls for an independent investigation into the violations committed against them, with full accountability for those responsible.

The continued detention of an elderly woman and her son for years solely due to the actions of a family member is not only a legal violation, but a clear manifestation of collective punishment, fundamentally incompatible with the most basic principles of justice and human rights.