Sulaiman al-Dowaish
Additional Name(s): Sulaiman Al Dowaish, سليمان الدويش
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Saudi Arabia
Ethnic Group: Arab
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni
Reports of Torture: Yes
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: April/22/2016
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Disappeared
Reason for Persecution: Religious Expression
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Sulaiman al-Dowaish
Extra Bio Info:
Sulaiman al-Dowaish was forcibly disappeared for his religious expression.
On April 22, 2016, al-Dowaish was forcibly disappeared while on a work trip to Mecca following tweets he made the day before summarizing a religious lecture he gave that day in Mecca. In the tweets, al-Dowaish warned about the dangers of individuals providing their sons with great privileges and responsibilities without proper oversight and accountability, a perceived criticism against King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Two months after his arrest, al-Dowaish’s name appeared on the Ministry of Interior’s online database of detainees, confirming his presence in state custody.
Al-Dowaish was reportedly tortured while detained.
The last known sighting of Al-Dowaish was July 2018.
Al-Dowaish’s sons, Abdulwahhab al-Dowaish, Abdulrahman al-Dowaish, and Malek al-Dowaish, have been arrested for inquiring about their father's disappearance.
Sources:
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Photo used with permission from MENA Rights Group
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USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck, Tweet, March 24, 2023
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USCIRF Country Update: Religious Freedom Conditions in Saudi Arabia December 2022
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USCIRF Tweet August 30, 2022
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2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Saudi Arabia U.S. Department of State
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“Saudi religious scholar Sulaiman Al Dowaish forcibly disappeared since April 2016” MENA Rights Group
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“Son of missing preacher Sulaiman al-Dowaish re-arrested” ALQST