Saudi Arabia: Al-Ouda contacts his family for the first time since he was arrested

Abdullah Al-Ouda, the son of Sheikh Salman Al-Ouda, said his father had contacted his family for the first time since his arrest in Saudi Arabia on September 10, 2017.

On Tuesday, Al-Ouda’s son tweeted trough his twitter account, saying: “My father called today from Dahaban prison, and he is fine and well, thank God.” He added: “May God bless him with urgent release.”

اتصل الوالد اليوم من سجن ذهبان وهو الآن بخير وعافية الحمدلله
أسأل الله أن يتمم عليه بالفرج العاجل#الشيخ_سلمان_العودة

— د. عبدالله العودة (@aalodah) February 6, 2018

His condition has recently raised controversy, as he has been transferred to a hospital after his health deteriorated in prison, amid rumours of his death, prompting his son to demand that his fate  be revealed.

Sheikh Al-Ouda, who has been detained for about five months, has been denied from contacting his family and has been isolated in solitary confinement, according to Saudi journalist Abdul Aziz Kasem after his recent visit.

Read: Amnesty calls on Saudi to release cleric Salman Al-Ouda

Saudi Arabia carried out the arrest campaigns under the order of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, in November 2017, as he arrested a group of senior Sheikhs, scholars, businessmen, wealthy people and ministers, in what was said to be a “war against corruption,” which was considered an attempt to obtain full control over the political scene.

Dozens of Islamists, writers and academics who criticized Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy were also arrested.