Marwan Al-Muraisy – Years of Arbitrary Detention Without Trial in Saudi Prisons

Yemeni writer and journalist Marwan Al-Muraisy has spent more than three and a half years in Saudi prisons without trial, and his legal status remains unknown.

Al-Muraisy was arrested in June 2018 while returning with his sick son from the hospital in Riyadh. A group of unidentified individuals dressed in civilian clothes arrested him and took him to an unknown location without disclosing the details and place of his arrest.

Al-Muraisy’s news was cut off for nearly a year, while the authorities denied knowing his whereabouts, until in May 2019 he was allowed to call the family for the first time for a few minutes, in which he told them that that he was still alive and being held in a Saudi detention facility without specifying his exact location.

Al-Muraisy was deprived of his most basic human and legal rights. He was not allowed to appoint a lawyer, or to know the real reason for his arrest. He was also deprived of regular communication with his family.

At the beginning of 2020, Al-Muraisy’s son died, and despite human rights appeals, the Saudi authorities refused Al-Muraisy’s request for a temporary release from prison to bury his son and attend the funeral, only to increase his suffering and punish him for no reason.

According to human rights sources, the Saudi authorities arrested Marwan Al-Muraisy, who was very active on social media, because he did not praise the Crown Prince and his vision related to the economy and diversity.

The Saudi regime is holding 31 journalists, including women, in its prisons, in addition to hundreds of opposition detainees including preachers, academics, activists and human rights defenders.

We strongly condemn the double standards of the Saudi regime regarding human rights and freedom of opinion and expression.

Detained Journalists in Saudi Prisons: