Mohammed Al-Otaibi: The Man Who Predicted the Collapse of Saudi’s Fake Reform

The case of Mohammed Al-Otaibi remains a stark reflection of the human rights reality in Saudi Arabia, where peaceful civic activities are criminalised and courts are weaponised to silence anyone who dares to demand reform. His continued detention and mistreatment expose the deep contradiction between the state’s rhetoric of “openness” and what is actually happening inside its prisons.

Al-Otaibi—the founder of the Union Association—was not arrested in secret or during a protest. He was effectively abducted from Riyadh Airport in May 2017 as he prepared to travel to Norway, after being granted refugee protection due to the escalating harassment he faced inside the kingdom. In doing so, the authorities violated international law and the fundamental rights of a recognised refugee, demonstrating once again that their pursuit of dissidents knows no boundaries and is unconstrained by legal or moral obligations.

Instead of reviewing these violations or addressing his legitimate grievances, the authorities referred Al-Otaibi to the Specialised Criminal Court—a political repression court in all but name—subjecting him to proceedings that lacked even the minimum standards of a fair trial. He was charged with absurd accusations that reveal the regime’s fear of peaceful civic engagement, including: establishing an association without permission, issuing statements critical of state policies, “damaging the reputation of the kingdom,” and sharing information about his interrogation despite being pressured not to do so.

In January 2018, he received a 14-year prison sentence, widely condemned by international human rights organisations as incompatible with the Crown Prince’s claims of “modernisation.” Amnesty International’s Samah Hadid stated that the sentence “sends a clear message that the new leadership is determined to silence civil society and human rights defenders.”

But the repression did not stop there. Instead of addressing the violations or considering his release, the authorities increased his sentence to 17 years without any legal justification—an act of retaliation linked directly to Al-Otaibi’s repeated hunger strikes in protest against the degrading and inhumane conditions inside Dammam Prison.

Private sources confirm that Al-Otaibi has faced direct death threats, including deliberate placement with prisoners who were encouraged by the prison administration to harm him. He has also been repeatedly denied communication with his family and deprived of basic rights.

Today, more than a year since the last round of public attention to his case, the facts show that nothing has improved. His situation has worsened, and the authorities continue to ignore international appeals while promoting an image of “reform” to the outside world.

The continued imprisonment of Mohammed Al-Otaibi—and all prisoners of conscience—is a shameful stain on the Saudi regime, which markets a false human-rights narrative while crushing every independent voice within the country.

If the Crown Prince is genuinely committed to reform—as he claims—the first real step must be the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience, including human rights defenders who have committed no crime other than peacefully exercising their right to free expression.