On May 29, 2024, Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) sentenced 47-year-old teacher, Asaad bin Nasser al-Ghamdi, to 20 years in prison for social media posts criticizing the government’s Vision 2030 program and expressing condolences for the death in prison of a prominent human rights defender. Al-Ghamdi was arrested on November 20, 2022. According to trusted sources, he was held in solitary confinement for the first three months of his detention and has been denied access to adequate healthcare, including for his epilepsy. Asaad bin Nasser al-Ghamdi’s brother, Mohammad, was arrested five months prior to Asaad’s arrest and sentenced to death in July 2023 solely over his social media posts. The Saudi authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Asaad bin Nasser al-Ghamdi and quash his conviction and sentence.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: January 17, 2025
take action:
- Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
- Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 65.24. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.
contact information:
Waleed Mohammed Al Samani
Minister of Justice
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Postal Code 11472, P.O Box 7775
Email: [email protected]
Embassy of Saudi Arabia in the United States
Her Royal Highness Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
601 New Hampshire Ave
NW, Washington, DC 20037
Email: [email protected]
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
sample letter:
Your Excellency, or Your Royal Highness,
I am gravely concerned that the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) in Saudi Arabia has sentenced 47-year-old teacher, Asaad bin Nasser al-Ghamdi, to 20 years in prison, followed by a 20-year travel ban, solely on the basis of his social media posts on X (formerly Twitter) criticizing government policies and expressing condolences for the death in prison of prominent human rights defender and founding member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), Abdullah al-Hamid.
Al-Ghamdi was arrested on November 20, 2022 following a raid on his home. According to trusted sources, he was held in solitary confinement for the first three months of his detention. Al-Ghamdi suffers from epilepsy, and according to trusted sources he has been denied adequate healthcare in detention for his condition, and as a result he has suffered repeated fainting spells, falls, and seizures. He has also been denied treatment for the injuries caused by these seizures.
The Saudi authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Asaad bin Nasser al-Ghamdi and quash his conviction and sentence. Pending his release, they must ensure that al-Ghamdi urgently receives adequate healthcare. I also call on you to stop misusing terrorism charges to criminalize the exercise of the human right to freedom of expression, and to repeal or substantially amend the counter-terrorism and anti-cybercrime laws, ensuring that all laws are fully compatible with international human rights law and standards.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- READ THE FULL URGENT ACTION: Wordopens in a new tab or PDFopens in a new tab
- GET INSPIRED: Read about the people you have helped
- READ TIPS for writing effective letters and emails
- CONTACT US: [email protected]