We recently held our Annual Conference, bringing together experts to discuss strategies for countering rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. Read some of the highlights here: ➡️ alqst.org/en/post/alqs... And watch the video here: ➡️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nf8... Thanks to all who spoke and attended!

Following today's execution of three Saudi men on “terrorism” charges, #SaudiArabia's authorities have now executed 350 individuals in 2025, surpassing last year's record toll of 345. This makes a mockery of their promises to limit the use of the death penalty. #NoDeathPenalty

Following another execution today, #SaudiArabia's authorities have now executed 345 individuals this year, equalling last year’s record number. In the absence of transparency, and with executions sometimes carried out in secret, the real figures may be even higher.

On International #MigrantsDay, despite limited reforms, Saudi Arabia’s notorious kafala (sponsorship) system remains largely intact. Migrant workers continue to face routine abuse, including wage theft, forced labour, and inadequate health and safety protections.

Today, Saudi authorities executed another Egyptian national, Essam al-Shazly, for non-lethal drug-related offences, despite UN experts urging Saudi Arabia to halt such executions. He was subjected to acts of torture and ill-treatments throughout his detention.

A year after FIFA awarded Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup, serious risks remain unaddressed and grave abuses persist. ALQST and partner groups call on FIFA to take urgent action and make hosting rights conditional on meaningful human rights reforms. www.alqst.org/en/post/glob...

A French national has been detained in #SaudiArabia for over a year and a half, the last four months held incommunicado. He faces trial for visa issues arising from a common scam and charges related to free expression. Read our statement with @hrw.org. alqst.org/en/post/fren...

Dania Akkad, investigative journalist and Deputy Editor at @declassifieduk.org, will be speaking at our annual conference on Friday, discussing the challenges facing independent journalists covering Saudi Arabia. Register for in-person attendance here: www.eventbrite.com/e/alqsts-202...

Falah Sayed, Human Rights Officer (Gulf Lead) at MENA Rights Group, will be speaking at our annual conference this Friday, discussing the importance of engaging with UN human rights mechanisms. Register for in-person attendance here: www.eventbrite.com/e/alqsts-202...

Julia Legner, ALQST's Executive Director, will be speaking at our annual conference next Friday, sharing insights on ALQST’s journey and mission ahead. Register for in-person attendance here: www.eventbrite.com/e/alqsts-202...

Joey Shea (@joeyshea.bsky.social), Saudi Arabia and UAE Researcher at Human Rights Watch, will be speaking at our annual conference next week. She'll be exploring the role international NGOs play in combating violations worldwide, including in Saudi Arabia. www.eventbrite.com/e/alqsts-202...

[email protected], ALQST Board Member, National Assembly Party spokesperson, and Royal Holloway lecturer, will be speaking at our annual conference next week. She'll be focusing on Saudi activists and their vital role in the human rights field. www.eventbrite.com/e/alqsts-202...

James Lynch, founding co-director of @fairsq.bsky.social and human rights expert, will be speaking next Friday at our annual conference, where he'll cover the Saudi authorities' troubling trend of transnational repression. Register for in-person attendance: www.eventbrite.com/e/alqsts-202...

Saudi human rights defender Abdulrahman al-Khalidi has now spent over 1500 days in detention in Bulgaria. According to public data from the European Court of Human Rights, this is the longest period for any current asylum seeker in Europe. #SaveAlKhalidi See more: alqst.org/en/post/join...

There are reports circulating about the arrest of six Saudi citizens- including influencers Fahad al-Ruwis and Falah al-Masredi (pictured left and right, respectively) and lawyer Sultan al-Atwi (pictured centre)- on charges of “publishing content that stirs public opinion.”

Join us for our 2025 Annual Conference on human rights in Saudi Arabia! ⏱️ Friday 12 December 🔈 English and Arabic 🙇🏻‍♂️🖥️ Attendance available in-person or via livestream Featuring a distinguished group of experts. 👈🏻 Register (if in-person) here: www.eventbrite.com/e/alqsts-202...

Saudi Arabia’s Violence Against Women Isn’t Culture — It’s Policy Read Saudi academic and ALQST Board Member @maryamaldossari.bsky.social's latest article on the reality facing women inside Saudi Arabia. alqst.org/en/post/saud...

📆 SAVE THE DATE: Friday 12 December ALQST’s 2025 Annual Conference: Saudi Arabia’s human rights reality See the Eventbrite link below for our amazing speaker lineup, the full schedule, and to register for in-person attendance: www.eventbrite.com/e/alqsts-202...

"Saudi women do not need rescuing by those who misunderstand them; they need the world to stop helping the state drown them out." On International Day for the #EliminationofViolenceAgainstWomen, read @maryamaldossari.bsky.social's latest piece. morningstaronline.co.uk/article/saud...

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women,I wrote: When Donald Trump declared that Mohammed bin Salman had done ‘incredible things for human rights,’Saudi women could be forgiven for wondering what country he was talking about. morningstaronline.co.uk/article/saud...

The Trump administration is enabling and exploiting the Saudi regime's repression. Following Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Washington, read the latest article from ALQST founder Yahya Assiri in @dawnmenaorg.bsky.social. dawnmena.org/the-trump-ad...

The Trump administration is enabling and exploiting the Saudi regime's repression. Following Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Washington, read the latest article from ALQST founder Yahya Assiri in @dawnmenaorg.bsky.social. dawnmena.org/dawn-stateme...

Mohammed al-Qahtani, a 60-year-old human rights defender and academic remains trapped in Saudi Arabia under a 10-year travel ban, preventing him from reuniting with his wife and five children—all of whom are US citizens— in the United States.

Political cartoonist Mohammed Ahmed Al Hazzaa al-Ghamdi is serving 23 years in prison in #SaudiArabia in connection with his work for a newspaper. His sentence is one of many harsh prison sentences imposed by the Saudi authorities on charges related to peaceful expression.

As Mohammed bin Salman visits the United States today, the US administration should press Saudi authorities for concrete human rights commitments — including releasing prisoners of conscience, lifting arbitrary travel bans, and imposing a moratorium on executions.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits the United States today, his first since he approved the #JamalKhashoggi killing. See our statement with NGO partners, calling on the US government to address #SaudiArabia’s rights abuses during the visit. alqst.org/en/post/join...

Three years ago, Saudi fitness trainer Manahel al-Otaibi was arrested for her choice of clothing and support for women’s rights, freedoms she thought she had (as seen in this 2019 interview). She's now serving five years in prison, where she faces repeated abuse. #FreeManahel

Sunday marks 3⃣ years since Manahel al-Otaibi's arrrest, who remains unjustly imprisoned in #SaudiArabia. See our new briefing with ways to help: ➡️ alqst.org/File/briefin... 🐦 Post with #FreeManahel ✏️ Sign the petition www.globalcitizen.org/en/action/re... ✉️ Write to officials

Saudi aid worker Abdulrahman al-Sadhan remains forcibly disappeared, serving 20 years in prison for peaceful satire on X. See our briefing with steps you can take: ➡️ alqst.org/File/briefin... 🐦 Post online under the hashtag #FreeSadhan ✏️ Sign the petition ✉️ Write to your elected representative

‘I’ll be executed on Tuesday’: families reveal panicked last calls from foreigners on Saudi’s death row. Since the start of 2024, at least 264 foreign nationals have been executed for drug crimes in Saudi Arabia. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

من المروع سماع أنه بدلاً من إطلاق سراح المدافع السعودي عن حقوق الإنسان محمد البجادي في نهاية فترة احتجازه التعسفي، حُكم عليه مرة أخرى بالسجن لمدة 25 عامًا بتهم غير معروفة حتى الآن في محاكمة غير عادلة وفي تناقض صارخ مع قوانين حقوق الإنسان الدولية

Appalled to hear that instead of releasing #Saudi human rights defender Mohammed al-Bejadi at the end of his term in arbitrary detention he was sentenced again, now to 25 years in prison, on so-far unknown charges in an unfair trial & in blatant contradiction with international human rights law

‘I’ll be executed on Tuesday’: families reveal panicked last calls from foreigners on Saudi’s death row

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is due to visit the United States next Tuesday, his first since he approved the #JamalKhashoggi killing. ALQST and 10 NGOs call on the US government to address #SaudiArabia’s human rights abuses during the visit. alqst.org/en/post/join...

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...