Khaled and Salman AlodahSubjected to Saudi Collective Punishment Policy
Together for Justice expresses grave concern about the difficult detention conditions faced by the Saudi preacher Salman Alodahand his brother Khaled Alodah, who were arrested over online remarks.
Khaled Alodah- the younger brother of Dr. Salman Alodah- was arrested years ago for tweeting in support of his brother and calling for his release.
Not only does the arrest of Khaled Alodahblatantly violate his right to free speech, but it also amounts to a form of collective punishment that violates international humanitarian law and fundamental human rights.
Salman Alodahwas detained in 2017 during a large-scale crackdown campaign against prominent preachers and activists in the Kingdom, most notably Awad al-Qarni and Ali al-Omari, amid rights demands for their immediate release.
The prominent Muslim scholar has been detained a few hours after posting a tweet calling for Gulf reconciliation, in reference to the decision made by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt to cut ties with Qatar in 2017.
In an apparent appeal for peace between the Gulf states, the tweet reads, “May God harmonize between their hearts for the benefit of their people.
However, the Saudi prosecution demanded the Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh to execute Salman Alodahand his colleagues for allegedly acting “for the benefit of foreign parties against the security of the kingdom and its interests”.
Alodahfaces 37 charges related to his peaceful speech advocating reforms and joining international unions and associations.
As he is still kept in solitary confinement, Saudi authorities continue to refuse independent international monitors’ entry into the country and visit prisons and detention centres.
In this regard, we call on the international community to take urgent action and to pressure the Saudi authorities to respect basic human rights principles and ensure the immediate release of Salman and Khaled Alodahand all political detainees in Saudi jails.
We also stress that prisoners have unalienable rights conferred upon them by international treaties and covenants, have a right to health care, and most certainly have a right not to be indefinitely subjected to punitive measures such as solitary confinement. A democratic atmosphere must be guaranteed.
