Detained Saudi cleric Salman al-Ouda in solitary confinement: son

Abdullah al-Ouda, son of detained Saudi cleric Salman al-Ouda, has spoken about the plight of his father, who has been detained since 2017.

Abdullah, who currently lives in the US, said that his family had not known anything about the cleric's whereabouts for months until he was admitted to hospital.

That is when “we knew that he went through difficult times,” said the cleric’s son in an interview with BBC.

He said that his father is being held in solitary confinement and confirmed 17 members of his family are banned from travelling.

Abdullah said his application to renew his passport was rejected and he was instead requested to return to Saudi Arabia, which he described as “a police state.”

“All our family is targeted with repression and violations for no reason,” he said.

Salman al-Ouda is a member of the International Union for Muslim Scholars and is on its board of trustees. The popular cleric is a director of the Arabic edition of Islam Today and has participated in various TV shows as well as published a number of articles.

His detention is part of a wave of crackdowns on clerics that was launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman since his appointment to the position.

Critics say that the Saudi prince is abusing his power to suppress freedom of speech in his endeavor to modernise the country in line with the country’s strategic plan Saudi Vision 2030.

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