Saudi Human Rights Lawyer Waleed Abulkhair Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison · Global Voices
Noor Mattar

Profile photo for Waleed Abulkhair's Twitter account @WaleedAbulkhair.
Waleed Abulkhair, a prominent Saudi human rights defender, was sentenced to 15 years in prison today. He was convicted under a new anti-terrorism law introduced in the absolute monarchy for charges like “insulting general order” and “inflaming public opinion”.
It comes despite an outcry from NGOs globally less than two months after his brother-in-law Raif Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for establishing a website.
Abulkhair, who is the head of the “Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia” organisation, has more than 76,000 followers on @WaleedAbulkhair. After his sentence this account tweeted, quoting him:
A final judgement against #WaleedAbuAlkhair has been announced early this day -1
— وليد أبوالخير (@WaleedAbulkhair) July 6, 2014
He was sentenced to 15 yrs and similar travel ban period and a 200 thousands riyals fine. A statement will be published tonight -2
— وليد أبوالخير (@WaleedAbulkhair) July 6, 2014
” I object this judgement; God, history and people will make the true judgement between us” #WaleedAbuAlkhair reply in the final session.
— وليد أبوالخير (@WaleedAbulkhair) July 6, 2014
Blogger Ahmed Al-omran clarifyied what the charges are:
Activist @WaleedAbulkhair convicted under new antiterrorism law for charges like “insulting general order” and “inflaming public opinion”.
— Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) July 6, 2014
Abulkhair has been in prison since April 16. Activists say the new 15-year sentence overturns an earlier three-month sentence. Academic researcher Dr. Madawi Alrasheed tweeted to her 181,000 followers denouncing the sentence:
باسم أي شريعة يتحول حكم بالسجن من ٣ اشهر الى ١٥ سنة؟ #وليد_أبوالخير
— Madawi Al-Rasheed (@MadawiDr) July 6, 2014
In what creed does an imprisonment sentence change from 3 months to 15 years?
Twitter user Bander Qedeer wrote under the very active hash tag #وليد_أبوالخير, which translates to Waleed Abulkhair:
من يحمل السلاح ويكفر ويقاتل،،،يناصح ويخرج ومن يكتب وينتقد يحكم بسنين طويلة ،،،أنتم تحددون خيارات صعبة للشعب #وليد_أبوالخير
— بندر قِدير (@freetizen) July 6, 2014
Ideologist extremists who take up arms and go to fight will be rehabilitated, counseled and released while those who write and criticise will get lengthy sentences… you are giving the people tough options
Abulkhair will not appeal the sentence, tweeted CNN's international correspondent Mohammed Jamjoom to his 18,600 followers:
Samar Badawi, wife of @WaleedAbulkhair, says “verdict was not just. Waleed was tried& sentenced simply 4 his work as rights activist” #Saudi
— Mohammed Jamjoom (@JamjoomCNN) July 6, 2014
Samar Badawi, wife of @WaleedAbulkhair, tells me Waleed does not recognize the legitimacy of the court that sentenced him in #Saudi Arabia
— Mohammed Jamjoom (@JamjoomCNN) July 6, 2014
Samar Badawi, wife of @WaleedAbulkhair, tells me Waleed neither accepts nor will he appeal the verdict that was issued today in #Saudi court
— Mohammed Jamjoom (@JamjoomCNN) July 6, 2014
This new development is part of Saudi Arabia's continuous crackdown on human rights activists which has escalated widely since the beginning of this year.