Seven Years of Silence: Renewing the Call for the Release of Saudi Prisoners of Conscience

Together for Justice is once again calling on the international community—governments, institutions, and civil society organisations—to take urgent and decisive action to pressure the Saudi government to release prisoners of conscience who have been languishing in the country’s prisons for years. These individuals are held in degrading conditions, subject to humiliating treatment, and denied their basic human rights in blatant violation of international law and standards.

One of the most notorious cases involves those arrested during the September 2017 crackdown. This campaign, launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shortly after he assumed power, promised to be a step toward reform, progress, and enlightenment in Saudi Arabia. Instead, it became a ruthless effort to silence any form of dissent or opposition. The arrests targeted a broad spectrum of society, including scholars, intellectuals, activists, academics, business figures, and even members of the royal family.

The Case of Ali Humaid Al-Juhani: A Scholar Silenced

Among the victims of this crackdown is Ali Humaid Al-Juhani, a distinguished academic and professor at the Islamic University of Madinah. On September 14, 2024, he will have been imprisoned for seven long years without any official charges, legal representation, or access to the outside world. His case is shrouded in secrecy; the authorities have refused to provide any details about the reasons for his detention or the progress of his case, leaving him in a legal limbo.

Al-Juhani’s story is far from unique. His name is on a list of 83 individuals arrested during the 2017 purge, which included men and women from various fields. Despite minor releases of a few prisoners, most of them remain behind bars, subjected to inhumane conditions, denied basic rights such as medical care and contact with their families, and subjected to media smear campaigns designed to discredit them and justify their continued imprisonment.

A Campaign Against Voices of Reform

The mass arrests of September 2017 were a stark reminder that the Saudi regime’s promises of reform were little more than empty rhetoric. Rather than embracing voices calling for progress and constructive reform, the regime chose to suppress them in a bid to maintain absolute control over the narrative in the kingdom.

Those arrested in this crackdown were not violent dissidents or radical opposition figures. They were peaceful advocates for reform, democracy, and human rights—individuals who could have been key players in helping Saudi Arabia modernise. By imprisoning them, the Saudi government has shown that it values its grip on power over the wellbeing and progress of its people.

Together for Justice’s Call for Action

Together for Justice is joining the voices of countless other human rights organisations and advocates in calling on the Saudi government to immediately release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including Ali Humaid Al-Juhani. These individuals are not criminals; they are the true wealth of the nation, intellectuals, and leaders who should not be silenced but celebrated.

The organisation also emphasizes that Saudi Arabia’s international partners have a responsibility to hold the regime accountable for its human rights violations. Governments and institutions that engage in diplomatic, military, or economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia must take a firm stand against these abuses. Human rights cannot be compromised for the sake of geopolitical or economic interests.

Together for Justice calls on the international community to:

• Demand the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience and an end to arbitrary detentions.
• Suspend military, security, and economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia until significant improvements are made in its human rights practices.
• Pressure the Saudi government to provide transparency regarding the cases of all detainees and ensure fair and just legal proceedings in accordance with international law.

Seven Years Is Too Long

As the case of Ali Humaid Al-Juhani reaches its seven-year mark, the world must remember that behind the walls of Saudi prisons are hundreds of individuals like him—scholars, writers, activists—who have been stripped of their freedom simply for exercising their right to free expression. Their continued detention represents not only a grave injustice to them but also a betrayal of the values that Saudi Arabia claims to uphold.

The international community must act swiftly and decisively to ensure that these individuals are freed and that Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses are no longer ignored. The cost of inaction is too high, both for the individuals suffering in silence and for the future of Saudi Arabia as a whole.

Together, we can make a difference.