With @financialtimes.com's new investigation out today exploring the unravelling of Saudi Arabia’s Neom megacity, look back at our briefing paper on the wide range of concerns regarding the project. ➡️ alqst.org/en/post/neom...

Saudi activist Abdulrahman al-Khalidi has now spent over four years in detention in Bulgaria. Along with 20+ NGOs, we urge Bulgarian authorities to release him and ensure he isn’t deported to #SaudiArabia, where he faces risk of grave abuses. #SaveAlKhalidi alqst.org/en/post/join...

Yesterday the Saudi authorities executed a Nigerian woman for drug-related crimes. They have executed at least 320 people so far in 2025, including five women.

🕊️ ALQST has learned that teacher Mona al-Bayali, detained for six years for exercising her right to free speech, has been released. Her cousin Ghaida al-Bayali, detained for two years in al-Tarafiya Prison, was also recently released, along with several other detainees.

Over the weekend the #Saudi authorities' executed five Pakistani nationals for non-lethal drug offences. They have now executed at least 319 people so far in 2025, and are on course to exceed last year’s record number of 345 executions. #NoDeathPenalty

Over 50k have now signed the petition calling for the release of Manahel al-Otaibi— a fitness instructor and women’s rights activist jailed by the #Saudi authorities for her peaceful activism. #FreeManahel ✒️ Add your name here: www.globalcitizen.org/en/action/re...

The recent executions of Jalal Labbad and Abdullah al-Derazi raise grave fears for other child defendants on death row. Sign our petition with Global Citizen calling on the Saudi authorities to immediately quash the death sentences passed on child defendants. www.globalcitizen.org/en/action/sa...

Saudi Arabia’s SCC has sentenced human rights defender Mohammed al-Bejadi to another 25 years in prison, despite already being held over two years beyond his previous sentence. His case again highlights the Saudi authorities’ determination to silence peaceful dissent. ➡️ alqst.org/en/post/vete...

No, Saudi Arabia has not abolished the Kafala system: Fact-checking the disinformation campaign making the rounds www.mrrors.org/2025/10/no-s...

🚨 After retrial, #SaudiArabia's Specialised Criminal Court has sentenced human rights defender Mohammed al-Bejadi to 25 years in prison. This is despite him completing his prison term over two years ago. #FreeAlBejadi See our previous joint statement: alqst.org/en/post/ngos...

Saudi Arabia: Release 10 Nubian Egyptian Men Immediately www.hrw.org/news/2025/10... Imprisoned for Promoting Nubian Cultural Heritage #Egypt #KSA

The UK Chancellor visits Saudi Arabia today aiming to secure the forthcoming UK-GCC Free Trade Agreement, which has been marked by a lack of transparency. As ALQST and partners urged, the UK must commit to strong human rights conditions before signing any agreement. www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

Time for this article again- Starmer’s silence on human rights in Saudi Arabia speaks volumes. It signalled the UK’s quiet complicity — prioritising arms sales and economic ties over accountability. @declassifieduk.org ‬⁩ www.declassifieduk.org/starmers-sil...

Despite completing his prison term over two years ago, Saudi human rights defender and ACPRA co-founder Mohammed al-Bejadi now faces retrial. 📅 His next court hearing is on Monday 27 October, at the SCC. ALQST encourages diplomats to request access to the trial. #FreeAlBejadi

ALQST expresses deep concern over the appointment of Salih al-Fawzan as #SaudiArabia's new Grand Mufti. He has a long record of deeply discriminatory and inflammatory statements, that undermine women’s rights and justify repression of dissent. alqst.org/en/post/alqs...

Read Middle East Eye's coverage about the Saudi authorities' horrifying execution of Abdullah al-Derazi, the second child offender to be executed in Saudi Arabia in two months. Featuring comments from our Monitoring and Advocacy Officer Nadyeen Abdulaziz. www.middleeasteye.net/news/cruelle...

🚩Yesterday Saudi authorities executed Abdullah al-Derazi for alleged crimes committed as a child. Saudi authorities reached two horrific milestones: the 300th execution of 2025 & the 2nd execution of a person accused of committing crimes as a child. @hrw.org www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...

Today #SaudiArabia's authorities executed two more Egyptian nationals for drug-related offences- Mohammed Saad (pictured) and Omar Sherif. Both suffered abuses throughout their detention and trial, including denial of family contact and confessions extracted through torture.

Yesterday #SaudiArabia's authorities executed Abdullah al-Derazi, convicted after a grossly unfair trial of “terrorist” crimes allegedly committed as a child. He’s the second child offender executed in two months, raising grave fears for others at risk. www.alqst.org/en/post/saud...

Saudi authorities today announced the execution of child defendant Abdullah al-Derazi. He was convicted of alleged terrorism-related crimes after taking part in protests when under 18. He faced gross abuses throughout his detention and trial, including torture-tainted confessions.

#RiyadhFashionWeek kicks off today, featuring Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney and others. Meanwhile, Saudi authorities continue to suppress basic rights. Despite claimed reforms for women, Manahel al-Otaibi is serving five years for her clothing choices and peaceful activism.

The Riyadh Comedy Festival is over, with participating comedians expressing a mixture of justification and regret. Meanwhile, Saudi aid worker Abdulrahman al-Sadhan remains forcibly disappeared, serving 20 years in jail for peaceful satiral content on X. Will participants speak up? #FreeSadhan

Two more Egyptian nationals were executed yesterday in Saudi Arabia for non-lethal drug-related offences. This raises grave fears for the lives of Egyptians threatened with imminent execution for such offences, including Mohammed Saad (pictured left) and Essam al-Shazly (pictured left).

The sudden execution of Saudi journalist Turki al-Jasser in June, after seven years of enforced disappearance, dramatically illustrated how the Saudi authorities weaponise the use of the death penalty as a tool to repress freedom of expression. #WorldDayAgainstTheDeathPenalty

Of the 292 individuals publicly reported as having been executed in Saudi Arabia so far this year (as of 9 October), 195 were executed for drug-related crimes, 151 of whom were foreign nationals from Asian and African countries including Somalia, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Egypt and Afghanistan.

Saudi authorities have executed at least 292 people so far in 2025, including four women. They are on course to exceed last year’s record number of 345 executions, in contradiction of their own commitments to limit the use of the death penalty. #WorldDayAgainstTheDeathPenalty

On #WorldDayAgainstTheDeathPenalty ALQST and 35 NGOs express our horror at the alarming surge in executions in #SaudiArabia. At least 292 people have been executed in 2025, amid egregious violations of international human rights law. #NoDeathPenalty Read more here: alqst.org/en/post/ngos...

Read @newcivilengineer.com.web.brid.gy's article about the Saudi authorities renewed efforts to displace residents of al-Muwaila village, part of the area planned for #Neom. Featuring our monitoring and a quote. t.co/edTySD2VBe

🚨 Despite completing his prison term over two years ago, veteran Saudi human rights defender and ACPRA co-founder Mohammed al-Bejadi now faces retrial. His next court hearing is on Monday 27 October. #FreeAlBejadi See our previous joint statement: alqst.org/en/post/rele...

Today is Abdullah al-Derazi’s 30th birthday. Arrested in 2014, he was sentenced to death after a grossly unfair trial for alleged crimes during protests aged only 17. The recent execution of child defendant Jalal Labbad raises grave fears for his life. ➡️ alqst.org/en/political...

Human rights activist and ACPRA member Omar al-Saeed, arbitrarily detained in Saudi Arabia since June 2018, is currently being held in solitary confinement. We call on the Saudi authorities to release him immediately.

Today is human rights defender Abdulrahman al-Khalidi's 32nd birthday. For the fourth birthday in a row, he spends it in degrading conditions in Sofia’s Busmantsi Detention Centre. He remains at risk of deportation to Saudi Arabia, where he'd risk facing grave abuses.

Media figure Muhammad Eid al-Omrani al-Huwaiti (owner of the Huweitat official snapchat account) has been released after five years of arbitrary detention in Saudi Arabia, along with Abdullah Atallah al-Saree'i al-Huwaiti. They were arrested for opposing their forced displacement for #Neom.

ALQST has joined @fairsq.bsky.social and a coalition of human rights and climate NGOs, supported by a number of professional athletes, in challenging FIFA and other sports organisations to justify their sponsorship deals with state-owned Aramco. fairsq.org/aramco-lette...

The Riyadh Comedy Festival taking place coincides today with the seven-year anniversary of the state-sanctioned killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Several comedians not attending have spoken out about the rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. Will participating comedians speak out?

Seven years on from Jamal Khashoggi’s state-sponsored murder, justice is still denied. This failure has emboldened #SaudiArabia’s leaders to keep silencing critics at home and abroad. Accountability remains vital — for Jamal, and for all victims of repression. #JusticeForJamal

Today marks the seventh anniversary of the Saudi state-sponsored murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. As comedians perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, we urge them to publicly call for Saudi authorities to free unjustly detained Saudi dissidents, journalists, and activists.

Migrant workers are the backbone of Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy projects. But our new research shows they are being exploited and dehumanised in the very industry that should symbolise a sustainable future. Read the full report ➡️ www.business-humanrights.org/en/from-us/b...

Six of the world’s biggest sports organisations, including FIFA, the International Cricket Council & Formula 1, are being challenged to justify their sponsorship deals with state-owned Saudi Aramco. These partnerships may place them in breach of international human rights standards.

The great irony of the Riyadh Comedy Festival currently taking place is that its hosts, while welcoming high-profile international comedians, continue to suppress peaceful free speech and satirical comment among their country’s own citizens. Read more: alqst.org/en/post/riya...

Depuis juin 2024, un Français est détenu en #ArabieSaoudite : accusations de torture, absence d’avocat, poursuites pour visa. 📌À découvrir dans @libe et @franceinfo

ALQST and partner NGOs recently published a joint letter condemning the exploitation of Indian expat Ahmed Abdul Majeed by his Saudi employer, the PIF-owned Seera Group. @business-humanrights.org invited them to respond, but they have not done so. ➡️ www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-ne...

French man held in Saudi Arabia for over a year after Hajj scam . @alqst.bsky.social said Abdelfattah has been tortured repeatedly, including an attack in Dec in which 6 masked guards beat him, handcuffed him& placed him in solitary confinement for a week. www.middleeasteye.net/news/french-...

See @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social's piece on our monitoring of a French man detained in Saudi Arabia after falling victim to a visa scam. "[his] harsh treatment exposes the stark contrast between Saudi Arabia’s reformist image and its repressive reality." www.middleeasteye.net/news/french-...

🚨 A French national has been detained in #SaudiArabia for over a year and subjected to repeated ill-treatment and torture. He now faces trial, without legal representation, for visa issues arising from a common scam and charges related to free expression. alqst.org/en/post/fren...

In recent weeks, Saudi authorities have renewed efforts to displace residents of al-Muwaila village, part of the area earmarked for Neom. Schools have been shut, forcing families to send children to Duba, 47km away. And residents have been warned to evacuate or face power and water cuts.

“The Saudi Human Rights Commission – 20 years of whitewashing the Kingdom’s human rights record” Our joint report with MENA Rights Group and ESOHR exposes how the Saudi Human Rights Commission repeatedly covers up human rights violations instead of addressing them. ▶️ alqst.org/en/post/the-...

Yesterday, #SaudiArabia's authorities announced the execution of four Egyptian nationals- Ahmed Zeinhom, Abdel Fattah Kamal, Rami al-Najjar and Hesham al-Teles (not pictured)- for drug-related offences. All suffered abuses in the course of their arrest, detention and trial.

Human rights defender and ACPRA member Issa al-Hamid was arrested eight years ago. He remains in prison, serving an 11-year term on charges relating to his activism. As the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention have stated, he must be released now. ▶️ alqst.org/en/political...

At the UN with @alqst.bsky.social , I raised the ongoing discrimination against women in #SaudiArabia: detained in ‘care homes’ for ‘disobedience.’ Enough. Saudi women are not props for diplomacy or branding tools for Vision 2030. #HRC60