Saudi Arabia- The Exchange of Greeting Leads to Imprisonment and Torture

Sheikh Abdul Majeed Al-Arkani was arrested by the Saudi security forces for communicating with a prominent Turkish figure, on the sidelines of a conference held by the Muslim World League, said human rights sources.

Al-Arkani is of Bermawi origin, who worked as an imam for many mosques in several Arab countries. He was arrested while being in Saudi Arabia in 2020 to attend the conference. He remains in detention without being allowed to communicate with a lawyer or be present before a judicial authority.

Since the arrest of Al-Akrani, no news has been heard about him, however, private sources reported that he was beaten and tortured during the interrogation sessions about his relationship with a Turkish figure, Yassin Aktay, to whom Al-Arkani sent a greeting message.

The sources reported that Al-Arkani was held in solitary confinement for months inside the notorious Shaar Prison in Abha, located in the Asir region in the southwest of Saudi Arabia.

We strongly condemn the arrest of Sheikh Abdul Majeed Al-Arkani and his ongoing arbitrary detention, while depriving him of all his basic rights. We also condemn holding him without presenting him before any judicial authority, which is in violation of international law.

We call on the international community to take serious stances to put an end to the violations of the Saudi authorities, which continue to commit more crimes under a shameful international silence, which encourages their commission of further violations.

We call on the various UN agencies to form an urgent committee to visit Saudi Arabia in order to examine the conditions of the detainees and ensure the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience.