Four Years Behind Bars: The Ongoing Injustice Against Rohingya Activist Mohammed Alam Yaseen
Together for Justice strongly condemns the continued detention of Mohammed Alam Yaseen, a prominent Rohingya human rights activist and Deputy Chairman of the Global Rohingya Centre, who remains imprisoned in Saudi Arabia four years after his arrest in October 2021.
Yaseen is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, handed down in 2022 by the Saudi Specialised Criminal Court, in retaliation for his peaceful advocacy on behalf of the persecuted Rohingya people.
A voice silenced for defending the oppressed
Mohammed Alam Yaseen was arrested in Mecca along with several other Rohingya activists as part of a broader crackdown on members of the Rohingya diaspora living in Saudi Arabia. Reports indicate that he was targeted specifically for his outspoken defence of Rohingya rights and his efforts to mobilise international awareness of their plight — a mission that Saudi authorities perceived as a political threat rather than a humanitarian endeavour.
Following his arrest, Yaseen was forcibly disappeared for weeks, denied access to legal representation, and later sentenced to 20 years in prison after an unfair trial that failed to meet the minimum standards of justice. His detention highlights the alarming expansion of Saudi Arabia’s repression, which now extends beyond domestic dissidents to include activists advocating for global human rights causes.
A lifelong advocate for his people
Yaseen belongs to the third generation of the Rohingya community in Saudi Arabia, whose families fled systematic persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine State decades ago. Despite being born and raised in the Kingdom, Yaseen never abandoned his roots. For years, he worked tirelessly to shed light on the suffering of Rohingya Muslims — organising international conferences, engaging with global media, and lobbying governments and NGOs to take action against Myanmar’s atrocities.
Instead of recognising his humanitarian work, Saudi authorities treated it as a threat. His case stands as a chilling reminder that even those who fight for justice abroad are not safe from Saudi Arabia’s machinery of repression.
A wider campaign of silencing voices
The arrest and imprisonment of Mohammed Alam Yaseen form part of a pattern of transnational repression under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has sought to consolidate power by eradicating all forms of independent expression. By silencing activists like Yaseen, the Saudi regime not only betrays its own human rights commitments but also undermines its claimed leadership in the Muslim world.
Yaseen’s only “crime” was exercising his right to free expression — a right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which Saudi Arabia claims to respect. His 20-year sentence is not only a violation of these international obligations but also an act of political vengeance aimed at suppressing solidarity with the Rohingya cause.
A call for justice and accountability
Together for Justice holds the Saudi authorities fully responsible for Mohammed Alam Yaseen’s safety and well-being and calls for his immediate and unconditional release, the annulment of his unlawful sentence, and compensation for the suffering he has endured.
The organisation urges the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and all relevant international actors to pressure Saudi Arabia to end its campaign of intimidation and arbitrary detention against peaceful activists, both domestic and foreign.
Mohammed Alam Yaseen’s imprisonment sends a dangerous message: that even humanitarian advocacy is a punishable act in Saudi Arabia. His courage and sacrifice must not be forgotten — they are a testament to the enduring struggle for justice and the unbreakable will of those who continue to defend the oppressed.
