Together for Justice renews its urgent call to the international community to take immediate action in the case of Dr. Saud Mukhtar Al-Hashimi, a Saudi academic who has been arbitrarily detained since 2 February 2007, amid alarming reports confirming a severe and life-threatening deterioration in his health.
Credible information obtained from inside Saudi detention facilities indicates that Dr. Al-Hashimi is suffering from serious heart complications, neurological disorders, chronic kidney disease, and dangerously high blood pressure. These conditions are being aggravated by the systematic denial of specialized medical care and prolonged detention under inhumane conditions that fail to meet even the minimum international standards for the treatment of prisoners. The continued medical neglect appears deliberate and reflects a broader pattern in which health deprivation is used as a punitive measure against political detainees.
Dr. Al-Hashimi was arrested as part of the case known as the “Rest House Cell”, which targeted a group of academics and intellectuals engaged in peaceful discussions on political reform. He was held for four years without trial, during which he was subjected to physical and psychological torture, prolonged sleep deprivation, starvation, and medical neglect. As a result, he suffered multiple strokes that caused lasting and irreversible damage to his health.
In November 2011, Saudi authorities sentenced Dr. Al-Hashimi to 30 years in prison, followed by an additional 30-year travel ban and a heavy financial fine. The trial was manifestly political and fundamentally unfair. Lawyers were barred from attending, hearings were conducted in secrecy, and defendants were brought before the court shackled and blindfolded. No credible evidence was presented to justify such an extreme sentence, and basic fair trial guarantees were entirely disregarded.
Since his conviction, prison authorities have continued to subject Dr. Al-Hashimi to degrading and abusive treatment. He has reportedly been denied essential medication, transferred to extremely cold cells during winter without adequate clothing or blankets, and left without medical supervision despite repeated appeals by his family and human rights organizations. These practices amount to ongoing cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment under international law.
After 19 years of continuous detention, Dr. Al-Hashimi’s case represents a clear example of prolonged arbitrary imprisonment and slow, deliberate destruction of a peaceful academic whose only “offense” was engaging in thought, dialogue, and non-violent expression. His continued detention places full responsibility for his life and physical integrity on the Saudi authorities.
Together for Justice calls for:
- The immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Saud Mukhtar Al-Hashimi and his urgent transfer to a specialized medical facility.
- Full accountability of the Saudi authorities for his health and safety, and an immediate end to the practice of medical neglect against political detainees.
- Urgent intervention by United Nations mechanisms, including those addressing torture and arbitrary detention, to investigate his imprisonment, trial, and conditions of detention.
The continued suffering of Dr. Al-Hashimi is no longer merely a legal concern; it is an unfolding humanitarian crisis. Ending this prolonged injustice is an urgent moral and legal obligation that the international community can no longer ignore.