Amnesty slams Saudi Arabia for 'outrageous' mistreatment of jailed rights activist Waleed Abu al-Khair

Human rights group Amnesty International on Friday condemned the "outrageous" treatment of jailed rights activist and lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair, who was detained in 2014.

The group said in a statement that it had received credible reports that prison authorities at Dhahban jail near Jeddah had "arbitrarily" placed Abu al-Khair in solitary confinement under tightened security in late November.

He has been on a hunger strike since 29 November to protest his ill-treatment.

"The fact that Waleed Abu al-Khair is in prison to begin with, let alone serving a 15-year prison sentence, is outrageous," Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International's Middle East Research Director, said.

"He was imprisoned under bogus terrorism-related charges simply for exercising his rights to freedom of expression and defending human rights. He is one amongst scores of Saudi women and men being punished for standing up for their fellow citizens’ rights."

Abu al-Khair is a lawyer and human rights activist who has defended numerous victims of rights violations in Saudi Arabia, including Raif Badawi, a Saudi blogger who was sentenced to seven years in jail and 600 lashes in 2013.

"Saudi Arabia just recently assumed the Presidency of the G20, and as it starts paving the way for it, it would serve it well to start matching words to action," Maalouf said.

"It cannot claim to be committed to reforms to the outside world, when inside the Kingdom, it continues to brazenly treat its citizens this way."

The group called on Saudi authorities to protect Abu al-Khair from torture and allow him to contact his family and lawyer, and receive medical care.

"We continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Waleed Abu al-Khair and all other prisoners of conscience currently behind bars in Saudi prisons," Amnesty said.