The Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights’ Mohammad al-Qahtani

Mohammad al Qahtani is a former economics professor and one of the principal visionaries behind the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Associations (ACPRA). On 9 March 2013, a Riyadh criminal court sentenced him and fellow ACPRA co-founder, Abdullah al-Hamid, to ten and eleven years in prison respectively. Al-Qahtani’s sentencing and imprisonment is the result of[…]

Saudi government to execute protester with disabilities

On 4 November 2016, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sentenced Munir al-Adam, 23 years old, to death. Security forces arrested him in 2012 for his involvement in the 2011 protests, when he was 18 years old. During his trial, authorities did not allow him access to a lawyer. Al-Adam is partially blind and partially deaf.[…]

#TriedForTweets: @angryarabiya – Zainab al-Khawaja

Using her Twitter handle, @angryarabiya, Zainab al-Khawaja amassed nearly 50,000 followers and became a prominent voice of the 2011 pro-democracy movement in Bahrain.  She, along with fellow human rights defenders, provided on-the-ground updates on protests and demonstrations via her Twitter page. Her cyberactivism helped bring greater international attention to the human rights abuses committed by the Government[…]

Bahraini authorities continue to target Sheikh Isa Qassim

On 20 June 2016, the Government of Bahrain revoked the citizenship of Sheikh Isa Qassim. Shortly following the announcement of the citizenship revocation, the government claimed that Sheikh Isa Qassim had been illegally collecting funds. Bahraini courts have postponed trial dates on Sheikh Isa Qassim’s case a number of times. Authorities have set the next[…]

The Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights’ Suliman al-Rashudi

The Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA) was formed seven years ago this month by a diverse group of activists united in the goal of spreading human rights awareness and advocating for constitutional reform. Its eldest member, Suliman al-Rashudi brought decades of experience in Islamic law and human rights to organization, strengthening the[…]