Human Rights Watch said that the country is still targeting government critics [Getty]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned Saudi Arabia for continuing its ruthless crackdown on dissent, despite releasing a handful of high-profile detainees and announcing a so-called amnesty for exiled dissidents.
In a statement on Monday, HRW said that while the Saudi government had released 44 prisoners between December 2024 and February 2025, it has failed to provide transparency around the terms of their release or the identities of most of those freed, raising concerns over the motives behind the gesture.
Among those released are prominent rights activist Mohammed al-Qahtani, Leeds University doctoral student Salma al-Shehab, and Asaad al-Ghamdi, the brother of exiled scholar and dissident Saeed bin Nasser al-Ghamdi.
Al-Shehab had been sentenced to a staggering 34 years in prison in 2021 over her tweets supporting women’s rights. Her sentence was only reduced after sustained international outcry.
While authorities tout these releases as signs of reform, HRW says they mask a persistent, systemic campaign to silence dissent.
In March, the head of the domestic security agency, Abdulaziz al-Howairini, issued an alleged “amnesty” for Saudis abroad – an offer HRW described as hollow, noting that it contained no assurances of protection or change in Saudi policy towards freedom of expression, assembly, or belief.
The amnesty, al-Howairini said, was meant for those “misled and manipulated for ulterior motives”- language HRW argues reveals the government’s enduring contempt for independent thought and peaceful activism.
‘A superficial gesture’
Even as the government promotes the illusion of leniency, it continues to detain peaceful critics, the rights group said, highlighting the 2024 arrest of British national Ahmed al-Doush, who was seized at Riyadh airport while attempting to return to the UK.
Al-Doush was held for five months without charge, then faced a hearing without notice or legal counsel. The charges, his lawyer said, were based entirely on years-old social media posts and alleged connections to critics of the regime.
Joey Shea, HRW’s researcher on Saudi Arabia, warned that recent releases do not signal genuine reform.
“The release of prisoners is a positive development, but the Saudi government should free everyone who has been arbitrarily detained,” Shea said.
“Authorities must go beyond superficial gestures and dismantle the machinery of repression—starting with the release of all individuals imprisoned simply for exercising their basic rights.”
