RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The international human rights group, Human Rights Watch, has urged Saudi Arabian authorities to end the prosecution of Walid Abu al-Khair. Abu al-Khair is a human rights lawyer who Human Rights Watch believes is being unfairly treated for his exercise of free speech. Abu al-Khair faces charges of “offending the judiciary,” “attempting to distort the reputation of the kingdom,” “obstructing justice,” and “trying to mislead the course of an investigation.”

The trials of Abu al-Khair began in September 2011 after Abu al-Khair criticized the decision of a Saudi judge in connection with a client he was advocating for. The client was Samar Badawi who had been ordered to prison by Judge Abdullah al-`Othaim for “disobeying” her father. Abu al-Khair showed that the father had been abusing Badawi and that she should be transfered to a different male guardian to which the Jeddah Public Court agreed. Nevetheless, Badawi remained imprisoned for at least three more months.

Much of the evidence against Abu al-Khair has been kept from his eyes. Such evidence includes statements by Judge al-`Othaim alleging unethical conduct by Abu al-Khair during the Badawi trial.

Middle East director at Human Rights Watch Sarah Leah Whitson stated that, “The Saudi government’s prosecution of Abu al-Khair is doing far more to ‘distort’ the reputation of the kingdom than anything he has said or written.” Whitson added, “if Saudi authorities are truly concerned with the reputation of their judiciary, they should stop prosecuting lawyers who criticize the legal system’s failings.”

Currently, Abu al-Khair has been barred from traveling abroad. Other human rights defenders in similar situations to al-Khair in Saudi Arabia include Mohammed al-Bajadi, Dr. Mohammed al-Qahtani, Dr. Abdullah al-Hamid, Mikhlif al-Shammari, and Dr. Abdulkarim al-Khodr.

For further information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Saudi Arabia: End Prosecution of Human Rights Lawyer – 20 April 2013

Fars News Agency – HRW Slams Saudi Arabia for Prosecuting Lawyer – 20 April 2013

Gulf Center for Human Rights – Saudi Arabia – Human Rights Defenders Face Judicial Harassment After They Become Targets of the Authorities – 25 February 2013

Al Akhbar – Saudi Human Rights Lawyer Charged – 6 June 2012