human rights defender
Omar Al Said
Actions and Campaigns
Organization affiliation
- Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA)
HRD's year of birth
1992
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- NGO member
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
Current Status
In prison (pre-trial)
HRD's bio and work
Omar Al-Said is a human rights advocate and member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA). He is the youngest of ACPRA’s members to be detained. 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.
Detained since
Jun 23, 2018
Latitude: 27.89605
Longitude: 43.79311
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
Buraidah Central Prison
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
Omar Al-Said has been held without charge since his arrest in 2018 and without being brought to court.
Recent case update / evolution
On April 28, 2013, Omar Al-Said was summoned for an interrogation by the Ministry of Interior's Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution (BIP) before being taken into custody for questioning. Al-Said’s trial began on June 10, 2013 before a criminal court in Buraydah and on December 12, 2013, he was convicted for a number of offences, including “disobeying the ruler”, “membership in an unlicensed organization”, “inciting disorder by calling for demonstrations” and “harming the image of the State by disseminating false information”. Upon trial, he was sentenced to four years in prison, 300 lashes and a four-year travel ban following his sentence. On December 22, 2015, Al-Said was released on bail pending appeal. During the summer of 2018, he was rearrested and is currently being detained without charge.
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