Aimidoula Waili
Additional Name(s): Hamdullah Veli
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Saudi Arabia
Ethnic Group: Uyghur
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: Yes
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: November//2020
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Ethnoreligious Identity
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Aimidoula Waili
Extra Bio Info:
Aimidoula Waili was detained for his ethnoreligious identity.
In November 2020, Saudi Arabian authorities arrested Waili, a Uyghur Muslim and religious scholar, following an extradition request from the Chinese government after Waili had entered Saudi Arabia to go on pilgrimage. In March 2022, authorities transferred Waili to Riyadh, possibly signalling imminent deportation to China.
In April 2025, Waili was released.
Waili was previously arrested, imprisoned, and tortured in China.
Publicly Available Information:
- “Uyghur Teenage Girll and Mother Detained” Amnesty International
- “Saudi Arabia: Detained Uyghur men at risk of torture must not be extradited to China” Amnesty International
- USCIRF Commissioner Nury Turkel, Tweet, January 11, 2022
- “Prominent Uyghur Scholar Arrested by Saudi Authorities on China’s Request” Pen America