German

This petition asks the GERMAN GOVERNMENT ( Auswärtiges Amt / Foreign Office in Berlin), to issue a humanitarian visa for Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi.

THIS IS HAPPENING IN FRONT OF OUR DOOR - IN EUROPE

Bulgaria is breaking International LAW !! The Time for Diplomacy Work in the back is over. 

Abdulrahman is in the 4. YEAR OF DETENTION 

Politicans in the Foreign Office, I urge you to grand a humanitarian Visa for Abdulrahman al Khalidi before his life ends in this Prison Hell of Busmantsi.

I am writing to urge you to help secure the freedom and safety of Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi, a Saudi dissident who has been detained in Bulgaria since October 2021.

Abdulrahman and me are talking daily about his situation, his fear to get deported back to Saudi Arabia where he would end up in prison or die like many others before. We talk about how he is handling all this suffer and torture. 
we need urgently your support please sign this Petition and share to save Abdulrahmans Life. 
He was part of the network around Jamal Khashoggi who got murdered in the Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey 2018. 

Abdulrahman has been subjected to degrading treatment and denied access to essential medical care for his heart condition, psychological support and effective legal representation. His situation raises serious concerns about Bulgaria's commitment to democracy and international law. Please allow us to provide a detailed account of Abdulrahman's ordeal.

Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi, a pro-democracy activist and courageous human rights defender, was persecuted between 2011 and 2013 for his activism, in particular for his involvement in the "Prisoner until When" campaign to defend prisoners' rights, which resulted in interrogations, arrests and harassment of his family. He fled Saudi Arabia in 2013 and sought refuge in Turkey with the help of human rights NGOs, where he continued his advocacy work. In 2020, a female prisoner of conscience in Saudi Arabia was charged simply for meeting Abdulrahman in Istanbul.

On 23 October 2021, while seeking asylum in Bulgaria, he was arrested and detained in the Busmantsi detention centre and later held at the request of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) without specific charges or legal grounds. He was then reportedly interrogated by a joint Saudi-Bulgarian intelligence team outside official hours and without legal representation, raising suspicions of collusion between Bulgarian asylum authorities and Saudi intelligence. Circumstantial evidence points to a possible exchange of information between SANS and Saudi services, including undisclosed court case details known to Saudi officials close to the government and shared on social media.

Alarmingly, on 9 February 2024, Abdulrahman received an expulsion order, despite his eligibility for protection under European and international law. His asylum application was rejected on the basis of unsubstantiated claims of democratic reform in Saudi Arabia. There are also concerns that Bulgaria may have revealed sensitive information about his activism, putting him and his family at risk.  

Abdulrahman's legal battle for asylum has been long and fraught with setbacks. Despite an administrative court decision ordering his release on 18 January 2024, the Agency for Refugees failed to implement it, followed by an expulsion order on 7 February 2024 and a ten-year ban from Bulgaria. Throughout his detention, he has endured psychological torment, uncertainty and deteriorating mental health.

Despite interventions by various international organisations, including the Quilliam Foundation, MENA Rights Group, Amnesty International and the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, as well as the attention of UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor, no concrete action has yet been taken to secure Abdulrahman's release.

Worryingly, on the eve of the Supreme Administrative Court session on 1 April, Abdulrahman was physically assaulted by four police officers in Busmantsi detention centre. The assault took place during the holy month of Ramadan, a period of fasting and spiritual reflection for Muslims. Due to his medical condition, Abdulrahman does not observe the fast, and in the evening he tried to give food to other detainees, only to be violently confronted by the police. He was brutally beaten and knocked unconscious. When he regained consciousness, the abuse continued until he was restrained and released hours later. A formal complaint was filed with the Sofia Prosecutor's Office about this outrageous incident.

On April 23, the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) upheld the decision of the Sofia City Administrative Court (SCAC) to annul the refusal of the State Agency for Refugees (SAR) to grant refugee and humanitarian status. According to the SAC, the case should be sent back to the Agency for a new decision in line with the Court's reasoning. The decision is final and cannot be appealed.

On 23rd of May Abdulrahman reapplied to the SAR for release and the SAR has seven days to respond. The SAR's refusal to release him will be appealed to the Sofia City Administrative Court. This is a single instance procedure

Abdulrahman al-Khalidi remains unlawfully deprived of his liberty without having committed any crime. Al-Khalidi's legal representatives have filed an appeal with the Sofia City Administrative Court against the SANS expulsion order. The court's hearing on the case has been postponed until 9 July. The Security Agency expects Abdulrahman to provide witnesses and evidence to prove his innocence, while they have not provided any evidence against Abdulrahman.

Al-Khalidi's immigration detention, which has now lasted for 3 years, is unprecedented and calls into question the rule of law in Bulgaria in a situation where the SANS is able to pressure the SAR and circumvent court decisions of last resort by issuing new detention orders for Abdulrahman al-Khalidi. Such actions by state authorities not only prolong al-Khalidi's uncertainty, but expose him to further persecution, including the risk of unlawful deportation.

We can say that he is a refugee detained in Europe whose rights are being flagrantly violated.

His case shows that Europe lacks mechanisms to control democratic processes, which is very important, especially when the country is experiencing a serious democratic crisis. The victim is an innocent man who, as a refugee, is defenseless against local politics. The strong influence of Saudi Arabia and its good relations with Bulgaria should also be taken into account. The deportation of Abdulrahman Al Khalidi would benefit local politicians, but is completely against the principles of our community. On the basis of these principles, Abdulrahman must be free and safe, under the protection of the European Community, which has already been clearly confirmed by the Supreme Administrative Court.

We are helpless in the face of this vicious circle of Saudi influence and the foul play of the Bulgarian Security Agency. Only visibility and publicity of this case can ensure social pressure and control.

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Timeline

22 October 2024 - The Sofia City Administrative Court upheld the expulsion order issued by the SANS against Abdulrahman al-Khalidi on the identical ground that certain SANS statements are special and not subject to judicial review

7 October 2024 - A petition with over 1,100 signatures in support of Abdulrahman al-Khalidi's immediate release was submitted to the Office of the President and the Council of Ministers.

9 September 2024 - The Sofia City Administrative Court dismissed Abdulrahman al-Khalidi's appeal against his detention in Busmanci on the grounds that some SANS statements are special and not subject to judicial review

5 July 2024 - Mr al-Khalidi starts a hunger strike

5 June 2024 - The SAR rejected the release request again referring to the SANS opinions of "threat to national security" and despite the opinions of the courts of last resort.

23 May 2024 - Al-Khalidi submits a request for release to the SAR. SAR has seven days to respond

10 May 2024 - Al-Khalidi's appeal against the expulsion order to the Sofia City Administrative Court is postponed until 9 July.

25 April 2024: The Supreme Court overturns the decision to deny him asylum and sends his case back to the Refugee Agency for reconsideration.

7 February 2024: Al-Khalidi is visited by an investigator from the National State Security Agency and handed an untranslated order for his immediate deportation.

26 January 2024: The Administrative Court rejects his release order.

22 January 2024: An administrative decision is issued by the National State Security Agency denying his release.

18 January 2023: Mr Al Khalidi attends a hearing at the Administrative Court in Sofia regarding his detention. The decision is made very quickly the following day and his release is ordered.

12 December 2023: His case for asylum is heard again by the Sofia City Lower Administrative Court. The court decides to send his case back to the State Agency for Refugees for reconsideration.

27 September 2023: the Supreme Administrative Court gives its verdict and decides to annul all lower decisions and send the case back to the lower courts for retrial due to procedural defects and errors.

20 September 2023: MENA Rights Group submits al-Khalidi's case to UN Special Procedures mandate holders.

19 September 2023: Mr al-Khalidi is heard by the Supreme Administrative Court.

11 May 2023: MENA Rights Group submits al-Khalidi's case to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

13 March 2023: Al-Khalidi appeals the rejection of his asylum application to the Supreme Administrative Court.

20 February 2023: The Sofia Administrative Court rejects Al-Khalidi's appeal.

9 June 2022: Al-Khalidi appeals the rejection of his asylum application to the Sofia Administrative Court.

27 May 2022: The Bulgarian State Agency for Refugees rejects Al-Khalidi's asylum application.

14 February 2022: Al-Khalidi's appeal against his administrative detention is rejected; this decision cannot be appealed.

25 November 2021: Al-Khalidi is transferred to the Busmantsi detention centre near Sofia, Bulgaria.

16 November 2021: Al-Khalidi applies for asylum in Bulgaria.

25 October 2021: Al-Khalidi is arrested in Bulgaria shortly after crossing the border from Turkey.