Judicial authorities in Saudi Arabia extended the prison sentence of an editorial cartoonist to 23 years for allegedly creating content critical of the Kingdom’s leaders, the Sanad Human Rights Organization reported on Tuesday.
The United Kingdom-based institution identified the incarcerated individual as Mohammed al-Ghamdi, who previously worked for the state-owned Qatari newspaper Lusail.
The 48-year-old Saudi citizen, known by the pen name Mohamed al-Hazzaa, was arrested in 2018 after Riyadh ended its bilateral relations with Doha over concerns about the country’s relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood.
After being convicted in 2021 for expressing “sympathy” for Qatar and producing “offensive” drawings, al-Ghamdi was originally ordered to serve a six-year custodial term, before the recent prolongation of his imprisonment.
“This situation underscores the urgent need for international action to protect artistic freedom and human rights in Saudi Arabia,” Sanad spokesperson Samer Alshumrani told Middle East Eye. “Al-Ghamdi’s case exemplifies the troubling climate in Saudi Arabia, where no one is truly safe; he became a target simply for being an artist, nothing else.”
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