Prominent Human Rights Activist Starts Open Hunger Strike in Prison
Human rights sources confirmed that a prominent human rights activist detained in Saudi Arabia had started an open hunger strike in the Saudi regime’s prisons.
The ALQST Foundation for Human Rights said that prisoner of conscience Muhammad Al-Qahtani began a hunger strike since the 19th of December.
It reported that Al-Qahtani’s strike came in protest against his denial of communicating with his family and access to books and medications.
The Foundation stated that Al-Qahtani is detained in Al-Ha’ir prison in Riyadh, knowing that he is one of the founders of the Hasm Human Rights Association.
Solidarity campaign
Rights groups launched a solidarity campaign with Al-Qahtani to support him in his strike via tweeting on the hashtag #MohammedFahdAlQahtani’s strike.
The human rights groups aimed to pressure the Saudi authorities for his immediate and unconditional release.
Intentional Pressure
Human rights groups confirmed that Al-Qahtani’s strike reveals the extent to which the authorities continue to harass prisoners of conscience.
A character like Al-Qahtani does not reach a point like a hunger strike, except in the light of severe violations of detainees’ rights.
And he warned those circles of the authorities’ continuous efforts to put pressure on the detainees of Hasm by restricting them to contacts and persistent medical neglect.
Systematic Violations
Recently, a British newspaper documented a series of physical and sexual abuse of 309 human rights activists and prisoners of conscience in the Saudi authorities’ prisons.
The Independent said that female activists detained in the Saudi prisons were subjected to sexual assault, torture and execution.
The study revealed that 309 political prisoners had suffered human rights violations since bin Salman assumed the Covenant mandate in 2017.
The Grant Liberty organization prepared the study in which it was stated that people face the death penalty for crimes that occurred when they were as young as nine.
The researchers said that 20 prisoners were arrested for political crimes they committed when they were children, including five executed and 13 facing the death penalty.
The study reveals that 27 activists, 6 of whom were subjected to sexual assaults among the detainees.
Human rights have occupied European and international attention, and international human rights organizations, due to Saudi crimes inside and outside the Kingdom.
