human rights defender
Abdulaziz Al-Shubaili
Actions and Campaigns
Organization affiliation
- Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA)
HRD's year of birth
1985
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- Lawyer
- NGO member
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
Current Status
In prison (sentenced)
HRD's bio and work
Abdulaziz Al-Shubaili is a principal member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA). He participated as a lawyer in the defence team on behalf of many of his fellow members of ACPRA. He used social media networks to call for reform and defend people’s rights in Saudi Arabia.
Detained since
Sep 17, 2017
Charge(s)
- Creating disturbances
- Spreading fake news
Sentence
8 YEARS
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
Before his arrest, Al Shubaili was subject to harassment by the police and summoned by the Interrogation and Prosecution Department in Al Qassim on four occasions between November 18, 2013, and December 17, 2013. Despite the fact that a prison sentence was issued against him, Al Shubaili was not detained immediately. On September 17, 2017, Al Shubaili was arrested in the province of Al Qassim. Al-Shubaily endured repeated instances of abuse during his imprisonment, including a 2-month period in 2019 where he was held in a filthy cell without access to fresh air and sunlight.
Latitude: 26.2033
Longitude: 43.95649
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Asia: Western Asia
Location of detention - City/Town
Al-Qassim
Location of detention - Facility
Onayza Prison
Recent case update / evolution
On 10 January 2017, the Specialised Criminal Court sentenced Al-Shubaili to eight years in prison, followed by another eight years banned from writing on social media, in addition to a travel ban of eight years to begin after the sentence has been served. Al-Shubaili was accused of many charges including allegedly publishing a statement calling for demonstrations; accusing judges of dishonesty and human rights violations; preparing, storing and sending data affecting public order; communicating with foreign organisations; and participating in an unauthorised association, namely ACPRA. On 14 August 2017, the Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal in Riyadh upheld the full preliminary sentence issued against Al-Shubaili.
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