On July 6, 2025, 2018 Right Livelihood Laureate Waleed Abu al-Khair marks 11 years behind bars in Saudi Arabia. He recently spent his 46th birthday in a prison cell. His twelfth in detention.
A brilliant lawyer and one of the most courageous human rights voices in Saudi history, Abu al-Khair is best known for defending peaceful reformers like Raif Badawi and for opening the doors of his own home in Jeddah to young people seeking change. As the founder of Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, he was one of the first to take Saudi civil society global, registering his organisation in Canada when authorities refused to do so at home.
His punishment? A 15-year prison sentence, a travel ban of equal length, and a heavy fine. His trial was held under Saudi Arabia’s counter-terrorism law. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has condemned it as a violation of international standards, describing his imprisonment as part of a broader pattern of reprisals against human rights defenders.
Abu al-Khair has endured prolonged mistreatment in custody: solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, denial of medication and repeated transfers without explanation—most recently to a prison where he reportedly faced abuse by other inmates.
He is the last of the three 2018 Right Livelihood Laureates from Saudi Arabia still behind bars. Abdullah al-Hamid died in prison in 2020 after being denied life-saving treatment. Mohammad al-Qahtani, after serving longer than his sentence required—including years incommunicado—was released earlier this year.
This week, Right Livelihood joins ALQST for Human Rights, The Centre for Applied Human Rights, The Law Society of England and Wales and Lawyers for Lawyers in calling on Saudi Arabia to immediately and unconditionally release Abu al-Khair. The joint statement demands an end to retaliation against human rights defenders and urges the authorities to uphold the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.
“Waleed Abu al-Khair’s continued detention exemplifies the misuse of legal frameworks to silence dissent,” the statement reads. “We call for his immediate release and for Saudi Arabia to ensure that all lawyers can carry out their duties without intimidation or interference.”
Saudi authorities may have silenced Waleed’s voice for now. But his message, and his demand for justice—continues to grow louder.
Following the 2018 Right Livelihood Award, Waleed Abu al-Khair received the 2019 American Bar Association International Human Rights Award and the 2021 Olof Palme Memorial Fund Prize. All bestowed while he sat behind bars.
