human rights defender
Ziad Al-Sufyani
Actions and Campaigns
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- Journalist/Blogger
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Digital rights
Current Status
Released
HRD's bio and work
Ziyad Al-Sufyani is a Saudi podiatrist. He was actively involved in various social and intellectual initiatives. In 2012, he founded the Taif University Reading Club. Before his arrest, he served as an Arabic administrator on Wikipedia, where he contributed to the creation and editing of numerous pages, including that of Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul.
Detained since
Jul 1, 2020
Date of release
Mar 11, 2025
Sentence
14 YEARS
Latitude: 24.44922
Longitude: 46.81378
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Asia: Western Asia
Location of detention - City/Town
Riyadh
Location of detention - Facility
Al-Ha’ir Prison
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
Little is known about Ziyad Al-Sufyani's case, which is shrouded in secrecy. What is known is that in the summer of 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, Ziyad Al-Sufyani and his fellow doctor and Wikipedian Osama Khalid were swept up in a wave of arbitrary arrests. It has been reported that observers were also denied access to court hearings.
Recent case update / evolution
Ziad Al-Sufyani was arrested in July 2020 (specific date unknown) and sentenced to 14 years in prison by the Specialized Criminal Court. Few details are known about his case.
On 11 March 2025, ALQST for Human Rights reported that Al-Sufyani had been freed. His colleague Osama Khalid remains in prison.
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