Khaled Al-Jreiwi: One Year Behind Bars for Demanding Freedom for Prisoners of Conscience
One year has passed since the arrest of Saudi writer and businessman Khaled Ibrahim Al-Jreiwi, who was detained by the Saudi regime in early November 2024. The official narrative accuses him of “bribery, forgery, and money laundering,” yet the reality is far more sinister — his only crime was supporting prisoners of conscience and calling for their freedom. Al-Jreiwi’s arrest marks another chapter in the regime’s campaign to silence peaceful expression and criminalize solidarity with the victims of repression.
Al-Jreiwi was known for his public stance defending free expression and for posting messages sympathetic to political prisoners who remain behind bars in Saudi Arabia. His detention came after a long history of online harassment and intimidation directed at those who express dissent or demand reforms. The fabricated charges against him reflect a pattern the Saudi authorities have repeatedly used to mask politically motivated arrests behind false legal pretences.
Together for Justice considers the targeting of Khaled Al-Jreiwi a flagrant violation of fundamental rights, including freedom of opinion and expression, guaranteed under international law and the Arab Charter on Human Rights — to which Saudi Arabia is a signatory. The regime’s use of the judiciary as a tool to suppress peaceful voices has destroyed any sense of legal integrity or public trust in the Saudi justice system.
Over the past decade, hundreds of scholars, writers, journalists, and activists have been detained under similar pretexts — accused of “terrorism,” “corruption,” or “cybercrimes” — when, in fact, their only offence was speaking their conscience. The Saudi regime continues to exploit such fabricated charges to disguise political repression and deter others from expressing solidarity with the imprisoned.
Together for Justice demands the immediate and unconditional release of Khaled Al-Jreiwi and all prisoners of conscience arbitrarily detained across the kingdom. The organisation holds the Saudi authorities fully responsible for his physical and psychological wellbeing, and warns against any mistreatment or coercion while in detention.
The organisation further calls on the international community — particularly the United Nations, the European Union, and the governments maintaining close partnerships with Riyadh — to stop overlooking the regime’s human rights abuses and to pressure the Saudi government to end its systematic persecution of peaceful citizens.
Freedom of expression is not a privilege granted by the state; it is a fundamental right that no authority has the legitimacy to suppress. Khaled Al-Jreiwi’s imprisonment is a test for the world’s conscience — and silence only strengthens the oppressor.
