Salman al-Odah
Salman al-Odah
An iconic religious reformer and one of Saudi Arabia’s leading proponents of political reform and human rights. His detention followed a sharp exchange of words in which Dr al-Odah argued that he was being arrested illegally, and security officers made clear that the reason for his arrest was a Twitter post in which he had welcomed a phone conversation between the Emir of Qatar and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia as a step towards resolving the current Gulf crisis. In it he said: “Praise the Lord… O God, soften their hearts toward each other for the good of their peoples.”
Personal information
Name: Salman al-Odah
Name in Arabic: سلمان العودة
Date of Birth: 9 May 1905
Gender: Male
Marital status: Married
Profession: Cleric
Place of residence: Riyadh
Arrest and jail information
Date of arrest:10 September 2017
Manner of arrest: State Security officers took him from his home to Dhahban Central Prison, Jeddah
Where held: Al-Ha’ir Prison, Riyadh
Trial information
Alleged crimes: Unknown
Victim's charges: 37 counts including turning society against the country’s rulers; seeking to corrupt society; having links with individuals and organisations belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood; not praying enough for the country’s rulers; calling for change in the Saudi government; attempting to incite revolution
Court: Specialised Criminal Court (SCC)
Verdict: The public prosecution is calling for the death penalty and the trial has been postponed several times
Date of verdict: The public prosecution is calling for the death penalty and the trial has been postponed several times
Updates on trial: The public prosecution is calling for the death penalty and the trial has been postponed several times
Previous arrests:
Human Rights Violations
Violations: Arbitrary arrest/ detention , Denied contact with family , Denied access to a lawyer , Observers denied access to court hearings, placed in solitary confinement
Violation details: Unknown
References
Reference 1: None
Reference 2: https://menarights.org/en/caseprofile/saudi-islamic-scholar-salman-al-odah-risk-execution
Reference 3: https://alqst.org/en/prisonersofconscience/salman-al-odah
Reference 4: https://alqst.org/en/post/crackdown-continues-waves-arrests-purpose-still-unclear
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