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Saudi arrests actor for sympathising with prisoners

June 14, 2018 at 8:00 am

Prominent Saudi comedian, Abdulaziz Alhajmi

Saudi authorities arrested prominent comedian, Abdulaziz Alhajmi, for showing “solidarity with prisoners of conscience in Saudi prisons,” human rights groups reported yesterday.

ALQST rights group said that Alhajmi is being held at Malaz prison in Riyadh, adding that he will appear before the country’s anti-terrorism Specialized Criminal Court (SCC).

“Freedom for Alhajmi who has not forgotten his moral duty,” ALQST’s president, Yahya Assiri, said on Twitter, slamming the other Saudi artists whom he said were focusing on “producing successful TV shows in Ramadan.”

Since 2014, Saudi authorities have tried a number of peaceful activists in the Specialized Criminal Court, Saudi Arabia’s terrorism tribunal, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Earlier this month a UN report accused Saudi of using anti-terror laws to suppress freedom of speech.

READ: Saudi arrests women’s rights activist Mayya Al-Zahrani