Jamil Al Farsi Is Still Detained Past His Release Date
Together for Justice vehemently condemns the Saudi journalist Jamil Al-Farsi’s continued detention nearly a year after he completed the five years of his five-year prison sentence, which followed an unfair and secret trial by the Specialized Criminal Court.
Jamil Al-Farsi was detained as part of the Saudi government’s campaign to silence all dissenting voices in the Kingdom in September 2017.
The only offense committed by Al-Farsi was his stance opposing normalization with the Israeli occupation and his criticism of the choice to purchase Aramco in international markets. The Saudi authorities viewed this as a threat to the stability and security of their nation.
Al-Farsi was a strong advocate for the rights of political prisoners and repeatedly called for their release while denouncing their arbitrary detention. However, the authorities arbitrarily responded to his tweets by locking him up and handing him the same fate. Despite his difficult health situation, authorities refused to provide him with the required health care.
In 2020, the Specialized Criminal Court issued a five-year prison sentence against Al-Farsi after a secret trial that violated fundamental principles of justice. Al-Farsi is still held in Saudi jails despite completing his prison sentence a year ago.
Together for Justice reiterates its appeal to the relevant UN officials and all other free people to put pressure on the Saudi government to free all political and religious prisoners and launch a thorough investigation into the abuses they have endured.
Together for Justice also affirms that these political prisoners should not have been arrested in the first place. However, the Saudi government attempted to legitimise their arbitrary detention by having them appear in court, but their trials were held in violation of the fundamental principles of fair trials. In addition, the government disregarded the court’s directives by keeping these prisoners in custody even after their prison terms were completed.
