The Life of the Preacher Jamal Al-Najem is in Danger in Saudi Prisons

Together for Justice has warned against the continued detention of the Saudi detainee Jamal Al-Najem, where the prison conditions pose an imminent threat to his health, which has been deteriorating since his arrest more than four and a half years ago.

Al-Najem was arrested as part of the fierce campaign of arrests against intellectuals, writers and preachers in September 2017, following the accession of Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the throne.  He was arrested while on his way to prayer at dawn. He was known to be a supporter of the Arab Spring revolutions, and a critic of some of the policies of the current regime.

Since his arrest, Al-Najem has been suffering from poor detention conditions, bad treatment, and a violation of all his legal rights.

Jamal Al-Najem is a professor of jurisprudence at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, and the general supervisor of the electronic newspaper “Fadila.”

Al-Najem is being held in Al-Ha’ir prison in Riyadh, without formal charge being raised against him and without being tried.

Since his arrest on September 13, 2017, he has not been allowed to contact a lawyer, or allowed to communicate with his family or receive family visitations.

Al-Ha’ir notorious prison is one of the worst places of detention in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where detainees suffer degrading treatment and inhumane conditions of detention. These conditions have caused the deterioration of Al-Najem’s health, leading him to suffer a stroke. The authorities have refused to transfer him to the hospital or provide medicine for him.

We call on the relevant national and international bodies to urgently intervene and demand the Saudi authorities to immediately release prisoners of conscience and political prisoners, and to ensure the Kingdom’s compliance with international detention standards.