For calling for social reforms, Mohamed Matar Al-Sahli forcibly disappeared for 28 months

The reformist academic Mohamed Matar Al-Sahli Al-Harbi was detained by the Saudi authorities in October 2021 following a string of tweets he posted on social media advocating for societal and democratic reforms.

According to private sources, the Saudi security forces raided the house of Dr. Al-Sahli last October, assaulted him, arrested him brutally, and took him to an unknown destination after handcuffing his hands and feet.

Dr. Al-Sahli is a professor at Umm Al-Qura University. He is also a social reformer. He is active on Twitter and is followed by thousands.

Until the moment, the legal position of Dr. Al-Sahli is still unknown, as he has not been tried, nor has his family been informed of the charges raised against him, in addition to denying them the right to meet him or appoint a lawyer like the rest of the detainees in Saudi Arabia.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention should urgently intervene to pressure the Saudi regime to immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Mohamed Matar Al-Sahli Al-Harbi and all prisoners of conscience and detainees without clear charge.

We also call on the various UN bodies to form urgent committees and travel to Saudi Arabia to ensure that all detainees obtain their rights.

We call on the international community to abide by human rights and the treaties and pacts they have concluded and to ensure respect for human rights in the world by linking any cooperation with the Saudi regime to improving the human rights situation in the country and allowing citizens to exercise their legitimate right to freedom of expression and assembly.