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Saudi Arabia releases human rights activist Essam Koshak

January 23, 2021 at 11:14 am

A member of the Saudi police in Saudi Arabia on 17 September 2015 [MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH/AFP/Getty Images]

The Saudi authorities have released human rights activist Essam Koshak after four years of detention, according to the social media accounts of Saudi activists.

Koshak was arrested in January 2017 and has been released after serving his full sentence.

As reported by ALQST Organisation for Supporting Human Rights, the ruling against Koshak includes a four-year travel ban, starting from the day of his release.

Koshak was charged with “inciting public opinion” for participating in campaigns calling for respecting human rights in the country.

The activist, a computer engineer and supervisor of electronic learning at the International Technical College at Makkah, has been regarded as one of the most prominent human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia, which prompted the authorities to arrest him.

Koshak’s father, Abdulqader Koshak, was a former member of the Saudi Shura Council.

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