Amnesty International said that Dr. Mohamed al-Khudari 81 and his son Dr. Hani — originally from Palestine — have been in detention and denied access to lawyers for more than a year in Saudi Arabia.
In Facebook remarks Amnesty said “the two Palestinians have been subjected to gross human rights violations including enforced disappearance arbitrary arrest and detention” adding that they are being held incommunicado and in solitary confinement.
Amnesty said it is seriously concerned about the health of Dr. Mohamed as he was detained while he was being treated for cancer.
“This concern has been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the particular threat it poses to older prisoners and those with underlying medical conditions” the human rights group added.
Amnesty has called on King Salman Al Saud to order the release of Dr. Mohamed and his son.
“Given the current COVID-19 pandemic and Dr. Mohamed al-Khudari’s poor health we urge your Majesty to secure his release without delay. We further call on your Majesty to ensure these unfounded charges against Dr. Mohamed al-Khudari and Dr. Hani al-Khudari are dropped and that they are released. In the interim ensure that both men are protected from torture and other ill-treatment and that Dr. Mohamed al-Khudari is immediately granted adequate medical attention.”
Dr. Mohamed al-Khudari is currently detained in al-Hai’r prison in Riyadh while his son is detained in Dhahban prison near Jeddah. They were arbitrarily arrested on April 4 2019.
Dr. Mohamed al-Khudari is a Palestinian national and a retired doctor and politician who has been residing in Saudi Arabia for approximately 30 years. Dr. al-Khudari was the official representative in Saudi Arabia of the Hamas Movement and responsible of coordinating relations between it and the government of Saudi Arabia. He resigned from his position and has been inactive for the past 10 years due to his illness.
His son Hani has no political affiliation. He completed his Ph.D. in computer science and is currently a professor at Um al-Qura University where he was arrested.
