CONTROVERSIA
Portrait of Waleed Abulkhair

Photo: Ahmed al-Osaimi · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Born in Saudi Arabia · Nationality Saudi — Human rights / law

Waleed Abulkhair

Justice, police and intelligenceIdeologies, militancy and activism

Documented profile covering 3 controversies, including “Three-month prison sentence in 2013 for reformist activism and criticism of judiciary” and “Counterterrorism court: fifteen-year prison sentence, fifteen-year travel ban and fine”.

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Profile No. 0512 · Updated on 12 October 2026

Portrait of Waleed Abulkhair

Photo: Ahmed al-Osaimi · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
3Documented controversies
8Sources
0Formal charge · all time
2Convictions

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

Case · 2 documented stages

Prolonged detention: allegations of ill-treatment, hunger strikes and inadequate healthcare

Conviction
01

2014-2026

Prolonged detention: allegations of ill-treatment, hunger strikes and inadequate healthcare

Conviction

During his long detention, Abu al-Khair was the subject of numerous reports of punitive transfers, isolation, alleged violence or ill-treatment, deprivation of books and inadequate healthcare. He undertook several hunger strikes. In 2026, Human Rights Watch and USCIRF still listed him among Saudi prisoners imprisoned for exercising fundamental rights.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Protagonist is the victim

Sources · 3

  1. [1]
    Human Rights WatchWorld Report 2026: Saudi ArabiaNGOHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom2026 Annual ReportOfficial documentHigh reliability
  3. [3]
    University of York Centre for Applied Human RightsJoint statement: Waleed Abu al-Khair remains imprisonedOfficial documentMedium reliability

Last verified: 19 August 2026

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02

2014-2015

Counterterrorism court: fifteen-year prison sentence, fifteen-year travel ban and fine

Conviction

Arrested in April 2014, Abu al-Khair was sentenced in July by the Specialised Criminal Court to fifteen years' imprisonment, a fifteen-year travel ban and a fine of 200,000 riyals for charges linked to his activism, criticism of authorities and establishment of an unauthorised human rights organisation. Part of the sentence was initially suspended, but the appeals court made the full fifteen years enforceable in January 2015.

State of the evidence
Established by a court
Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 3

  1. [1]
    U.S. Department of StateSentencing of Human Rights Lawyer Waleed Abu al-KhairOfficial documentHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    Human Rights WatchSaudi Arabia: Free Award-Winning ActivistNGOHigh reliability
  3. [3]
    Amnesty InternationalFurther information: Waleed Abu al-Khair jailed for 15 yearsNGOHigh reliability

Last verified: 19 August 2026

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03

2011-2014

Three-month prison sentence in 2013 for reformist activism and criticism of judiciary

Conviction

In October 2013, a Jeddah court sentenced lawyer and human rights defender Waleed Abu al-Khair to three months' imprisonment in a case linked to a 2011 statement/petition and his criticism of judicial authorities. The decision was upheld on appeal in 2014. This episode is distinct from the serious counterterrorism proceedings that followed.

State of the evidence
Established by a court
Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    Amnesty InternationalSaudi Arabian human rights lawyer sentenced to prison for demanding reformsNGOHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    Front Line DefendersCase history: Waleed Abu al-KhairNGOHigh reliability

Last verified: 19 August 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

III. Has something changed?

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Waleed Abulkhair

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