Saudi Arabia releases prominent intellectual Abdullah Al-Maliki after seven-year detention

Prominent Saudi reformist writer and thinker Abdullah Al-Maliki has been released from prison after serving a seven year jail sentence over his public statements, according to rights campaigners.

Al-Maliki was detained in 2017 following a raid on his home over public support for jailed members of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) and opposition to normalisation policies, according to Sanad Rights Foundation.

In 2022, the Specialized Criminal Court sentenced Al-Maliki to seven years in jail for "inciting public opinion" and possessing banned books. which included time already served in detention.

He was due to be released in September from Al-Ha'ir Prison, sparking fears that he might be held indefinitely.

He was finally freed this week to the relief of family, friends, and supporters.

"At Sanad, we congratulate Abdullah Al-Maliki and his family on his release after prolonged unjust detention. We continue to demand the release of all prisoners of conscience and human rights activists in Saudi Arabia and an end to arbitrary detention," the group wrote on X.

Al-Maliki had written numerous articles and books calling for social and political reforms, and was one of a number of conservative and moderate thinkers and clerics detained since 2017.

Rights groups have highlighted the continued detention or travel bans on other thinkers, activists, and public figures in Saudi Arabia.