Major tech companies including Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms have blocked 100+ human rights accounts following orders by Saudi authorities. Read the Guardian's coverage here, featuring comments from ALQST's board member @maryamaldossari.bsky.social. www.theguardian.com/media/2026/m...

🚨 The Saudi authorities have requested that X block a number of accounts belonging to prominent Saudi diaspora activists, including ALQST’s Abdullah Aljuraywi. As of now, X has not complied, unlike Meta, which recently acted on similar requests. www.alqst.org/en/post/meta...

Meta has blocked 100+ Facebook and Instagram accounts, including ours, from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Done at the request of Saudi and Emirati authorities under draconian cybercrime laws, this is a direct attack on free expression. www.alqst.org/en/post/meta...

Saudi Arabia's authorities recently summoned dozens of social media users who posted about unemployment. Read Financial Times' coverage here: www.ft.com/content/0fe4...

[email protected] are highlighting the case of imprisoned Saudi Wikipedian Osama Khalid in their "offline" project. 📑 Read more here: www.eff.org/deeplinks/20... ✏️ And sign the petition calling on Saudi authorities to #FreeOsamaKhalid now: www.change.org/p/release-os...

Following Andy Slaughter MP's latest question regarding the recent execution of another Saudi child offender, Ali al-Subaiti, and others at imminent risk, the UK government referred back to an earlier response without addressing al-Subaiti’s case directly.

Osama Khalid has been behind bars for nearly six years—and is currently facing another eight—for his online speech. We reiterate our call for the government of Saudi Arabia to release Osama www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Just want to give a big shoutout to @alqst.bsky.social and the University of York students who were already working hard on this campaign. We're just trying to add some pressure!

🚨 Saudi Arabia's authorities have summoned a number of social media users who shared their experiences or expressed sympathy with job seekers, forcing them to delete their posts and warning them not to repeat their actions.

Today marks 5⃣ years since blogger Abdullah Jelan was arrested upon his return to #SaudiArabia from the US. Tortured during interrogation, he was sentenced to a 10-year prison term on the back of social media posts advocating for basic rights. #FreeAbdullahJelan

Today marks 5⃣ years since blogger Abdullah Jelan was arrested upon his return to #SaudiArabia from the US. Tortured during interrogation, he was sentenced to a 10-year prison term on the back of social media posts advocating for basic rights. #FreeAbdullahJelan

🚨 Despite #Neom's downsizing, Saudi authorities continue to target the area's inhabitants. They recently arrested Abdul Rahim Afnan al-Huwaiti, a cousin of Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti. Afnan had previously been displaced from Al-Khuraiba village. 20+ Huwaitat tribe members remain in detention.

Following the recent passing of the mother of Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti, we extend our deepest condolences to her family. After years of resisting displacement, she and her daughter were the last residents forced to leave Al-Khuraiba village.

This #WorldPressFreedomDay, ALQST and @cahr-york.bsky.social highlight the stark reality facing journalists and writers in Saudi Arabia. The lived reality is one of pervasive censorship, surveillance and fear of reprisals. #WPFD2026 www.alqst.org/en/post/pres...

Our latest testimony features a European national who endured 10 months of imprisonment without charge. His case exposes the vast scale of political imprisonment in Saudi Arabia. "In prison I met many fellow inmates with similar stories." Read some examples here:

Saudi Arabia's authorities executed 31 people in April alone, the vast majority (25) following discretionary (ta’zir) sentences. Among those executed was Ali al-Subaiti, sentenced to death on charges related to attending protests when he was a minor, following a grossly unfair trial.

UN experts today are calling on Saudi Arabia's authorities to fully abolish the notorious kafala (sponsorship) system. "We continue to receive reports of abuse and labour exploitation of the estimated 16 million migrant workers in the country.” www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

We’re launching a new “Testimony” series, which highlights personal accounts of abuses experienced by individuals in Saudi Arabia. Our first piece examines a European national who endured 10 months of imprisonment without charge. www.alqst.org/en/post/test...

Ahead of the Newcastle City Council elections, @nosauditoon.bsky.social has written to parties fielding candidates to clarify their position on Saudi Arabia’s NUFC ownership. It references our calls made to the current council leader in a meeting last year. northeastbylines.co.uk/news/politic...

Saudi blogger and Wikipedia administrator Osama Khalid is serving a 14-year prison sentence for his online activism. 🖊️ Sign our new petition with @cahr-york.bsky.social ork.bsky.social calling on Saudi authorities to release Khalid now. #FreeOsamaKhalid www.change.org/p/release-os...

ALQST mourns the passing of its former Executive Director Nabhan AlHanshi, who died on 18 April after a battle with cancer. His death is a profound loss. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all those who, like us, had the privilege of working alongside him. www.alqst.org/en/post/alqs...

Today marks 🔟 years since the arrest and enforced disappearance of cleric Sulaiman al-Dowaish, following peaceful social media posts. He was brutally tortured by high-ranking #Saudi officials in an unofficial prison. His fate and whereabouts remain unknown.

We’re honoured to be partnering for a second year with University of York students on a human rights defence clinic, hosted by @cahr-york.bsky.social. We encourage anyone to follow them and engage with these activities over the coming weeks. www.alqst.org/en/post/coll...

Executions carried out by #SaudiArabia's authorities under King Salman have now surpassed 2000. Our latest analysis piece looks at the troubling rise in executions, particularly of foreign nationals, convicted of drug-related offences. www.alqst.org/en/post/anal...

🚨 The number of executions carried out by #SaudiArabia's authorities since King Salman took the throne in January 2015 has now exceeded 2,000. Read our joint statement with 35+ NGOs on this alarming escalation. www.alqst.org/en/post/saud...

Five years this month since he was sentenced in #SaudiArabia and 'disappeared' since his appeal hearing the same week as #NUFC takeover, we are now asking "WHERE IS SADHAN?" and will be writing to the Foreign Office about his case buff.ly/gFvES22

Blogger and Wikipedian Osama Khalid is a well-known activist for internet freedom in Saudi Arabia. Read our new briefing with the Centre for Applied Human Rights about his brave activism in support of digital freedoms, for which he is serving a 14-year prison term. ➡️ www.alqst.org/File/briefin...

✍️ Sign the petition: Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin is detained in Kuwait under new security and fake news laws. Demand Kuwaiti authorities immediately and unconditionally release him. ⤵️ cpj.movements.mov/pet/kuwait-r... #freeahmed #FreeAhmedEldin

Today marks 12 years since the arrest of Saudi human rights defender Waleed Abu al-Khair. He remains in prison today, serving a 15-year sentence for his peaceful activism. Join us in calling on #SaudiArabia's authorities to #FreeWaleed now.

Joint Action❗️ #SaudiArabia: NGOs call for immediate release of ​Saudi Wikipedian Osama Khalid, whose 14-year sentence was upheld recently @alqst.bsky.social @accessnow.org @dawnmenaorg.bsky.social @eff.org gc4hr.org/actions/ngos...

Saudi blogger and @wikipedia.org administrator Osama Khalid, serving a 14-year prison term for his online activism, recently saw his sentence upheld. With @york.ac.uk's Centre for Applied Human Rights and several NGOs, we're calling for his immediate release. alqst.org/en/post/ngos...

🚩 Saudi Arabia’s alarming use of the death penalty after Ramadan continues. Yesterday, seven people were executed for non-violent drug offences — five Saudi nationals and two Jordanians. Saudi authorities must urgently implement a moratorium on executions.

Yesterday Saudi Arabia's authorities executed Ali al-Subaiti, a young man convicted following a grossly unfair trial of “terrorist” crimes allegedly committed when he was a minor (from as young as 12), in blatant disregard of international human rights law. alqst.org/en/post/saud...

Today Saudi authorities executed relatives Ali al-Subaiti (pictured right) and Mustafa al-Subaiti (pictured left), following grossly unfair trials. Arrested in 2017, among the charges against Ali al-Subaiti included taking part in a protest in 2011 when he was only 12 years old.

The #Saudi authorities’ execution spree post-Ramadan continues, with 11 individuals killed since 29 March alone. This brings the total number executed in 2026 to 51, with 60% (31) for drug-related crimes.

Nine years ago, Saudi youth Youssef al-Manasef was brutally arrested. He was tortured and later sentenced to death for alleged protest-related "crimes" that took place when he was as young as 15. He remains at imminent risk of execution, along with other child defendants.

Today marks five years since humanitarian worker Abdulrahman al-Sadhan was sentenced to 20 years in jail for peaceful online activism. He has been disappeared and denied any family contact since October 2021. Join us in calling on #SaudiArabia's authorities to #FreeSadhan now.

📢 18 MEPs have sent a letter to the Bulgarian government expressing concern over the situation of Saudi activist Abdulrahman al-Khalidi, now in his fifth year of administrative detention in Bulgaria and facing the threat of deportation to #SaudiArabia. alqst.org/en/post/meps...

Today Saudi authorities executed businessman Saud al-Faraj on vague "terrorism" charges, over his participation in protests in 2011. In 2024 the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an opinion finding his detention to be arbitrary and calling for his immediate release.

Many women sentenced to death are survivors of long-term sexual or domestic abuse, yet these histories are rarely introduced in court or treated as mitigating factors during sentencing. In Saudi Arabia, this pattern is particularly evident among migrant domestic workers.

Our latest report examines the Saudi authorities’ use of the death penalty through a gendered lens. It shows how women in Saudi Arabia—especially foreign women—face overlapping forms of discrimination, rights violations, and structural barriers at every stage of the process.

Our new report focuses on women executed or on death row in #SaudiArabia over recent years. It explores the multiple injustices – relating to gender, citizenship and economic status – that have resulted in their facing capital punishment Read it here: alqst.org/en/post/wome...

Executions have resumed in #SaudiArabia following a pause during Ramadan, with three foreign nationals executed yesterday alone. 42 individuals have now been executed in 2026, the majority for drug-related crimes. Saudi authorities must implement a moratorium on executions now.

Eid is a time for family and compassion. However, in Saudi Arabia, many families remain torn apart due to arbitrary detentions and travel bans. In light of Eid, Saudi authorities should release prisoners of conscience, and lift all travel bans.

During #HRC61, ALQST and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights delivered two joint oral statements highlighting urgent human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia, including deeply regressive trends relating to the death penalty. Read the statements here: alqst.org/en/post/alqs...

Dear Followers, The ALQST team is monitoring the situation in the region, and as we watch the war and its distressing repercussions our wish is for everybody to be safe. (1/2)

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has published an Opinion condemning the executions of three Egyptian nationals for drug-related crimes in Saudi Arabia. It calls for compensation to be granted to their families. alqst.org/en/post/un-w...

Eid Mubarak✨ We extend our warmest greetings on the occasion of #EidAlFitr. During these blessed days, Eid is a time for family and togetherness. Yet in Saudi Arabia, many families remain separated due to arbitrary detention and travel bans.

Today marks 10 years since the arrest of Saudi writer and academic Mohammed al-Hudaif after posting a tweet questioning the legitimacy of UAE involvement in Saudi Arabia’s internal affairs. Although Saudi-UAE rivalry has since grown, he remains arbitrarily detained. ➡️ www.alqst.org/en/political...

Today at 7pm GMT, Newcastle United supporters' group @nosauditoon.bsky.social are hosting an online discussion on women's rights in Saudi Arabia. It features Saudi academic and ALQST board member Maryam Aldossari (@maryamaldossari.bsky.social). Meeting link: meet.google.com/xgg-zedj-pcq