Grant protection for detained Saudi human rights defender Abdulrahman al-Khalidi
Grant protection for detained Saudi human rights defender Abdulrahman al-Khalidi
The Issue
Saudi Arabian journalist and human rights defender Abdulrahman AlBakr al-Khalidi has been held in administrative detention in Bulgaria since October 2021, trapped in one of the longest-running asylum cases in Europe, which is currently pending before the European Court of Human Rights (Application No. 26364/24).
Despite several Bulgarian court rulings ordering his release, the authorities have failed to comply and instead issued expulsion orders. Deporting al-Khalidi to Saudi Arabia, where he faces a real risk of arbitrary arrest, torture, and an unfair trial for his peaceful activism, would violate the principle of non-refoulement and Bulgaria’s obligations under international, European, and domestic law.
Al-Khalidi began his peaceful activism in Saudi Arabia by participating in pro-reform protests during the 2011 Arab Spring and joining the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA). Following harsh crackdowns and his interrogation by security services in 2013, he was forced into exile, where he continued his peaceful advocacy, including joining dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s “Electronic Bees Army”, a project aimed at countering state disinformation.
In 2021, amid escalating threats in Turkey, al-Khalidi sought safety in the European Union. Instead, he was arrested shortly after crossing the Turkish-Bulgarian border on 23 October 2021. On 16 November 2021, he applied for asylum in Bulgaria.
Since then, he has remained in detention for over four and a half years—one of the longest periods for any asylum seeker in Europe, according to public data from the European Court of Human Rights. During his detention, as documented by human rights organisations including Human Rights Watch, he has faced harsh and degrading conditions and has been subjected to repeated ill-treatment, including psychological pressure, physical abuse such as a police beating in 2024, and denial of medical care.
Bulgaria’s Administrative Court has issued two final, non-appealable decisions ordering his release, and the Supreme Administrative Court has ruled three times in his favour on his asylum case. He remains an asylum seeker. Yet rather than comply, the authorities re-detained him after a release order and transferred him into a pre-removal detention centre, where he now faces expulsion proceedings.
We call on the Bulgarian authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release Abdulrahman al-Khalidi
- Guarantee that he will not be deported to Saudi Arabia or any country where he risks onward refoulement
- Facilitate his safe resettlement in a third country
We further urge European Union member states to take responsibility for providing him with safe resettlement without delay.
Sign now to demand his freedom
#FreeAlKhalidi
9
The Issue
Saudi Arabian journalist and human rights defender Abdulrahman AlBakr al-Khalidi has been held in administrative detention in Bulgaria since October 2021, trapped in one of the longest-running asylum cases in Europe, which is currently pending before the European Court of Human Rights (Application No. 26364/24).
Despite several Bulgarian court rulings ordering his release, the authorities have failed to comply and instead issued expulsion orders. Deporting al-Khalidi to Saudi Arabia, where he faces a real risk of arbitrary arrest, torture, and an unfair trial for his peaceful activism, would violate the principle of non-refoulement and Bulgaria’s obligations under international, European, and domestic law.
Al-Khalidi began his peaceful activism in Saudi Arabia by participating in pro-reform protests during the 2011 Arab Spring and joining the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA). Following harsh crackdowns and his interrogation by security services in 2013, he was forced into exile, where he continued his peaceful advocacy, including joining dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s “Electronic Bees Army”, a project aimed at countering state disinformation.
In 2021, amid escalating threats in Turkey, al-Khalidi sought safety in the European Union. Instead, he was arrested shortly after crossing the Turkish-Bulgarian border on 23 October 2021. On 16 November 2021, he applied for asylum in Bulgaria.
Since then, he has remained in detention for over four and a half years—one of the longest periods for any asylum seeker in Europe, according to public data from the European Court of Human Rights. During his detention, as documented by human rights organisations including Human Rights Watch, he has faced harsh and degrading conditions and has been subjected to repeated ill-treatment, including psychological pressure, physical abuse such as a police beating in 2024, and denial of medical care.
Bulgaria’s Administrative Court has issued two final, non-appealable decisions ordering his release, and the Supreme Administrative Court has ruled three times in his favour on his asylum case. He remains an asylum seeker. Yet rather than comply, the authorities re-detained him after a release order and transferred him into a pre-removal detention centre, where he now faces expulsion proceedings.
We call on the Bulgarian authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release Abdulrahman al-Khalidi
- Guarantee that he will not be deported to Saudi Arabia or any country where he risks onward refoulement
- Facilitate his safe resettlement in a third country
We further urge European Union member states to take responsibility for providing him with safe resettlement without delay.
Sign now to demand his freedom
#FreeAlKhalidi
9
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Petition created on 18 June 2026