Shortly after the establishment of the Union for Human Rights in 2013, the Public Prosecution launched a criminal investigation against its founding members. Al-Attawi, together with other activists, was summoned for “co-founding an illegal association”. They were called upon to freeze the work of their organisation in return for their freedom and the promise not to refer the case to trial, which forced them to agree so that they could go and work individually and in their personal capacities. Despite the closure of their human rights association, the authorities again referred both Al-Attawi and Al-Otaibi to the SCC on 08 December 2016. On 25 January 2018, the Specialised Criminal Court sentenced Abdulla Madhi Al-Attawi to seven years in prison. He was charged with participating in setting up a human rights organisation (the Union for Human Rights) and announcing it, prior to obtaining an official permit; preparing and signing petitions and publishing them on the Internet, which harms the reputation of the Kingdom and its justice and security institutions; publishing information about their interrogation despite signing pledges not to do so; spreading chaos and inciting public opinion; and re-tweeting a tweet published by a member of the ACPRA, human rights defender Issa Al-Hamed, who is currently in prison. As of September 2024, the prison sentence of Abdullah Al-Attawi has officially ended. However, there has been no news of his release or any legal action taken to facilitate it.