Judge Suliman Ibrahim al-Reshoudi (; also spelled ''Suleiman al-Rushoodi'', ''Suliaman al-Rashudi'', born ) is a Saudi Arabian

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

lawyer and pro-democracy activist. He was imprisoned in the 1990s, and again from 2007 until his release on humanitarian grounds on 23 June 2011 at the age of 74–75. In November 2011, he was convicted of "breaking allegiance with the King" and possessing literature by

Madawi al-Rasheed Madawi al-Rasheed, (; born ) is a British citizen of Saudi origin and a professor of social anthropology. Al-Rasheed has held a position at the Department of Theology and Religious Studies in King's College London and as a Visiting Professor a ...

and sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment followed by a 15-year travel ban. , his conviction was pending appeal at the Specialized Criminal Court.

Legal and human rights career

Al-Reshoudi is a lawyer who had the status of judge for two decades. He was one of the founding members of the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights (CDLR), created in 1993 during calls by Saudi Arabian intellectuals for reform. He was arrested along with other calling for reform. He has represented many prisoners held without charge or trial. In 2006 and 2007, prior to his own arrest during the 2 February 2007 mass arrest, al-Reshoudi helped detainees to try to sue

Mabahith The General Directorate of Investigations (), commonly known simply as the Mabahith, is the secret police agency of the Presidency of State Security in Saudi Arabia, and deals with domestic security and counter-intelligence. The officers of the ...

over their

arbitrary detention Arbitrary arrest and detention is the arrest and detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of law or order. ...

by filing cases with the Grievances Board. Al-Reshoudi has sent reports about "countless" political prisoners to

United Nations Special Rapporteur Special rapporteur (or independent expert) is the title given to independent human rights experts whose expertise is called upon by the United Nations (UN) to report or advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective. De ...

Arrests

1990s

Al-Reshoudi was detained in the 1990s during an arrest campaign against reformists, including CDLR members. He remained in prison for five years.

2007–2011

Al-Reshoudi was arrested again on 2 February 2007. On 28 November 2007, the

United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) is a body of independent human rights experts that investigate cases of arbitrary arrest and detention. Arbitrary arrest and detention is the imprisonment or detainment of an individual, by a State, ...

stated that al-Reshoudi and the other 2 February 2007 detainees were held illegally. In 2009, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) stated that al-Reshoudi had been severely

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

d. Al-Reshoudi's legal defence team filed a court case with the Grievances Board against the

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...

on 16 August 2009 on the grounds that the detentions were

arbitrary Arbitrariness is the quality of being "determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle". It is also used to refer to a choice made without any specific criterion or restraint. Arbitrary decisions are not necess ...

. Eight court sessions were held. Mabahith representatives were officially absent from four of the sessions, including the final session on 28 August 2010. The eighth (final) session was attended by representatives of ACPRA, the

Human Rights First Society The Human Rights First Society (HRFS, ) is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation which seeks to promote human rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the few independent groups in Saudi Arabia monitoring human rights, along w ...

, the

National Society for Human Rights The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) is a Saudi Arabian human rights organisation closely associated with and funded by the Saudi government. It was established on 10 March 2004; ACPRA described the official absence as "contempt of the judiciary". The presiding judge stated that the Ministry of Interior had informed the Grievances Board the previous night, 27 August 2010, that al-Reshoudi and the other detainees had been tried in court in Jeddah. Al-Reshoudi's defence team stated that the Jeddah trial consisted of the detainees appearing with their hands and legs chained before an unidentified "judge-like individual" from an unidentified institution, and did not constitute an appearance before a

competent Broad concept article: *Competence (polyseme), capacity or ability to perform effectively Competence or competency may also refer to: *Competence (human resources), ability of a person to do a job properly **Competence-based management, performa ...

court. The judge dismissed the case against Mabahith "for lack of jurisdiction". In January 2011, ACPRA and the

complained to

King Abdullah King Abdullah may refer to: *Abdullah II of Jordan (born 1962), king of Jordan since 1999 ** List of things named after King Abdullah II *Abdullah I of Jordan (1882–1951), king of Transjordan *Abdullah Khan II (1533/4–1598), ruler of the Khanat ...

about the

of the septuagenarian judge, whose feet were reportedly chained to his bed each night and who was forced to sit up during the day. As of March 2011, he was held in al-Ha'ir Prison. On 20 March 2011, during the

2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests The protests in Saudi Arabia were part of the Arab Spring that started with the 2011 Tunisian revolution. Protests started with a self-immolation in Samtah and Jeddah street protests in late January 2011. Protests against anti-Shia discrimina ...

, al-Reshoudi's daughter Dana al-Reshoudi visited the

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

along with 30 other women and 200 men to ask for their "husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons" to be released. Dana al-Reshoudi and other women were detained and interrogated in al-Ha'ir Prison for the night and released when their male guardians arrived at the prison and signed to release them. Suliman al-Reshoudi was released on 23 June 2011 for health reasons but the charges against him remained. On 22 November 2011, al-Reshoudi was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment, to be followed by 15 years' travel ban. Two of the charges he was convicted of were "breaking allegiance with the King" and "possessing banned articles by Professor

". Along with other reformists sentenced on the same day, al-Reshoudi filed an appeal against his conviction in the Specialized Criminal Court on 23 January 2012.

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

representative Philip Luther criticised the convictions of al-Reshoudi and the other reformists, stating, "Some of these charges appear to be criminalizing the peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression, including advocacy of political change. In these cases, the convictions should be quashed. Even the seemingly more serious charges on which some of the 16 men were convicted, such as money laundering, need to be re-examined carefully, as the convictions followed a grossly unfair trial." Amnesty International called for the appeals to follow the international standards for fair trials.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reshoudi, Suliman Saudi Arabian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Saudi Arabia Living people Saudi Arabian democracy activists 1930s births Year of birth uncertain Saudi Arabian human rights activists