Together for Justice expresses deep concern over the arbitrary detention and unjust sentencing of Asaad Al-Ghamdi, who was handed a 20-year prison sentence in July 2024 for expressing his opinions anonymously on social media. Among his tweets was a tribute to Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamid, a prominent Saudi human rights advocate who died in prison in April 2020 due to medical neglect.
Asaad Al-Ghamdi is also the brother of Sheikh Saeed Al-Ghamdi, a prominent dissident in exile who has long been a target of the Saudi regime. Sheikh Saeed fled the country due to political persecution, yet the Saudi government continues to harass his family, using collective punishment to target his relatives, including Asaad and Mohamed Al-Ghamdi, as a means of silencing dissent.
Mohamed Al-Ghamdi, another brother, was sentenced to death in July 2023 for tweets demanding justice, though the sentence was later overturned in August 2024. However, Mohamed remains in arbitrary detention, yet another victim of the regime’s repressive tactics against those who dare to speak out against injustice.
Originally, Asaad’s appeal was scheduled for September 2024. However, in an unexpected and unjustified move, the court postponed the hearing until the end of October 2024 without providing a clear legal reason or any prior notice. This sudden delay reflects the ongoing manipulation of the judicial process to suppress dissent and restrict free expression in Saudi Arabia.
Moreover, Together for Justice condemns the complicity of Twitter in this repression. Reports indicate that Twitter has provided user data to the Saudi authorities, enabling them to track down anonymous accounts, such as Asaad’s, and punish individuals for peacefully expressing their views. This collaboration not only endangers the lives of individuals who rely on social media platforms for free expression, but it also undermines the platform’s responsibility to protect user privacy and freedom of speech.
Together for Justice calls on the Saudi government to immediately cease its practice of collective punishment and arbitrary detention of dissidents’ family members. We further urge Twitter and other social media platforms to take responsibility for the safety of their users by safeguarding personal data from oppressive regimes.
The international community must hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its widespread human rights violations, demand transparency in judicial proceedings, and pressure the authorities to respect freedom of speech and the rights of their citizens.