Rina Abdulaziz… Four Years of Enforced Disappearance and Medical Neglect
More than four years and three months have passed since the Saudi authorities arrested women’s rights activist Rina Abdulaziz in May 2021 for peacefully demanding more freedoms for women. To this day, her legal status remains unclear. She has not been formally charged or brought before any court, and her family has been repeatedly denied regular contact with her.
Rina was arrested on May 13, 2021, as part of a sweeping crackdown on activists and social media influencers calling for democratic reforms in the Kingdom. Despite numerous legal and human rights efforts to obtain clarity about her case, the authorities have refused to disclose the official reasons for her arrest or grant her legal counsel access to her case file.
She was detained from her home in the Qassim region for her peaceful online advocacy, including posts calling for freedom of expression, the empowerment of women, and more job opportunities for youth. Her activism posed no threat to national security, yet it was met with severe punishment.
Despite urgent appeals from her family, the Saudi authorities have shown no willingness to release her or allow access to vital medication. Rina suffers from a serious bacterial lung infection, which makes her continued detention in an unhealthy environment especially dangerous.
It is worth noting that the year 2021 witnessed a large wave of arrests targeting young activists and social media users, including Abdulrahman Al-Sheikh, Asmaa Al-Subaie, Lina Al-Sharif, Yasmine Al-Ghufaili, and Najwa Al-Hamed, all of whom were detained for peacefully exercising their right to free expression.
In this context, Maa’n for Justice affirms that the arrest and continued detention of individuals solely for expressing their views constitutes a blatant violation of international human rights law, including Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees:
“Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression…”
The organization calls on the Saudi authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release Rina Abdulaziz and all prisoners of conscience.
- End the practice of arbitrary detention and extra-judicial arrests.
- Respect the right to freedom of expression and peaceful activism.
- Ensure full medical care for all detainees, particularly those with chronic or life-threatening conditions.
The continued detention of Rina without charge or trial, coupled with the denial of adequate medical treatment, is a serious human rights violation that must end. The international community must act urgently to hold Saudi Arabia accountable and demand justice for Rina and all others subjected to repression for speaking out.
