Mohammed al-Ghamdi

Extra Bio Info:

Mohammed al-Ghamdi is imprisoned for his religious freedom advocacy.  

In June 2022, security forces in Mecca arrested al-Ghamdi at his home. Prosecutors accused him of criticizing the government and calling for the release of religious prisoners of conscience, including Salman al-Ouda and Ali al-Omari, on Twitter, despite having fewer than 10 followers. 

In July 2023, the Specialized Criminal Court sentenced al-Ghamdi to death for “describing the King or the Crown Prince in a way that undermines religion or justice" (Art. 30 Counterterrorism Law), "supporting a terrorist ideology" (Art. 34 Counterterrorism Law), “communicat[ing] with a terrorist entity” (Art. 43 Counterterrorism Law), and publishing false news “with the intention of executing a terrorist crime” (Art. 44 Counterterrorism Law). In September 2024, the Court overturned al-Ghamdi's death sentence and sentenced him to 30 years' imprisonment.

During detention, authorities placed him in solitary confinement for four months in al-Dhahban Prison near Jeddah, blocked communication with his family, and denied him access to a lawyer. They also denied him access to his prescription medications intended to treat his mental health conditions.

Al-Ghamdi's imprisonment may be an attempt at coercion by proxy. His brother, Saeed al-Ghamdi, is a religious scholar and a well-known dissident who received asylum in the United Kingdom following Saudi Arabia's 2017 crackdown on intellectuals and activists. He is also head of the SANAD Rights Foundation, which documents human rights abuses, including against religious prisoners of conscience. Mohammed and Saeed's brother, Assad al-Ghamdi, was also imprisoned in 2022 for "insulting religion."