Abdulrahman Hamid Al Hamid is a Saudi human rights defender and co-founder of ACPRA*. On April 12, 2014, Mr Al Hamid signed a statement along with other activists calling for the Minister of Interior to be put on trial “for his policy of suppressing public freedoms.” As a result, he was arrested on April 17, 2014. He was initially detained incommunicado for a month and was detained in pre-trial detention for almost a year.
He was sentenced on October 13, 2015 to nine years in prison followed by a nine-year travel ban, and a fine of 50,000 Saudi Riyals (≈ 13,300 USD) by the SCC. He was convicted of offences including “incitement against public order and spreading chaos by taking part in drafting and publishing a statement that called for demonstrations”, “disrespecting the judicial authorities” and “participating in setting up an unlicensed organisation (ACPRA)”.
He completed his sentence on January 10, 2023 and was released from Malaz criminal prison. He remains subject to a travel ban.
*The Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) is a human rights organisation founded on October 12, 2009, which filed local lawsuits against the Ministry of Interior and reported human rights violations to the UN Human Rights Council and the Special Procedures. The organisation peacefully advocated for a constitutional monarchy, a universally elected parliament, an independent judiciary and for the protection of fair trial rights in the country.
Despite the association’s efforts to register with the authorities, it was never granted an official licence to operate. ACPRA was banned by a court decision dated April 9, 2013, which ordered the organisation’s dissolution following an arbitrary process that could not be challenged.
