Saudi Preacher Nasser Al-Omar Loses Hearing Due to Torture in Detention

“Together for Justice” is urgently calling on relevant UN bodies to intervene and pressure Saudi authorities to release elderly detainee Nasser Al-Omar (72) and provide him with necessary medical care after his health deteriorated significantly due to medical neglect and poor detention conditions.

Nasser Al-Omar is a Saudi academic and religious preacher, previously serving as a professor at the College of Sharia at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University. He has also been active in religious preaching and authorship, advocating for democratic principles in the country and supporting the Palestinian cause against Israeli occupation.

Al-Omar was arrested in August 2018 and subjected to enforced disappearance for an extended period before authorities acknowledged his detention. During his enforced disappearance, he endured physical and psychological torture, which severely impacted his health. In September 2021, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a secret trial, with four years suspended. However, the Specialised Criminal Court later increased his sentence to 30 years.

Currently, Nasser Al-Omar is suffering from deteriorating detention conditions that have negatively affected his health, causing complete hearing loss in one ear, alongside other age-related ailments. He is also being denied any form of medical care.

In this context, “Together for Justice” urges global decision-makers to intervene urgently to save the life of the detained Sheikh Nasser Al-Omar, as his continued detention poses a severe threat to his life due to deliberate mistreatment and medical neglect.

We call on all human rights defenders worldwide to raise awareness about Dr. Nasser Al-Omar’s plight and bring his suffering to the attention of international bodies to pressure the Saudi regime for his unconditional release and the release of all political detainees in the Kingdom.