Osama Khalid is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence in Saudi Arabia. His Crime? Sharing knowledge and advocating for human rights. His case is one among many in a pattern of arbitrary arrests in Saudi Arabia.

Osama, a 32-year-old paediatrician, was arrested in July 2020 and initially sentenced by Saudi Arabia's counter-terrorism court to five years in prison. This sentence was increased to 32 years after an appeal and later reduced to 14 years. In February 2026, this sentence was upheld.

A self-described “enthusiast about digital liberties and human rights", Osama was an active blogger, translator and editor. As a Wikipedia administrator, he authored and translated articles on a wide range of subjects. Among many voluntary activities, he founded a computer club in Riyadh in 2013 to promote digital literacy. During his university years, he also established and managed a student-run online cloud platform for sharing medical knowledge. One friend described him as “a person of kindness and gentleness". 

His arbitrary imprisonment stems solely from his tireless work to promote the free sharing of information online in Saudi Arabia. As a Wikipedia editor, he had contributed to pages on critical human rights issues, like those of the women’s rights activists Loujain al-Hathoul and Manal al-Sharif. In addition, he was active on Twitter and maintained his own blog, where he advocated against censorship and championed human rights and freedoms, especially online. Both the account and the website were later shut down. 

Since his arrest, Osama has faced grave rights violations, including solitary confinement and denial of legal counsel. He is currently imprisoned in al-Ha’ir prison in Riyadh, infamous for its abysmal conditions and torture of inmates.

Khalid’s case is not isolated, and he is among many prisoners of conscience who remain in arbitrary detention.

We call on the Saudi Arabian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Osama Khalid, conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the charges against him in accordance with international human rights standards, and end the suppression of online activism and peaceful dissent in Saudi Arabia.

Make Osama Khalid’s plight known and demand his immediate and unconditional release. 

Sign the petition now.