Saudi Arabia Sentences Prominent Artist to 23 Years in Jail

Date: 14 October 2024 - 22:07

News ID: ۱۳۲۴۱۰

RIYADH (Middle East Eye) – Saudi Arabia has sentenced artist Mohamed Ahmed al-Hazzaa al-Ghamdi, known professionally as Mohamed al-Hazzaa, to 23 years in prison over caricatures published by a Qatari newspaper during the rift between Riyadh and Doha seven years ago.
Al-Hazzaa, 48, had been a freelance caricaturist before his detention in February 2018.
He worked for the Qatari newspaper Lusail during the Saudi-led blockade on Qatar, which lasted between 2017 and 2021.
But al-Hazzaa had ceased his contribution to the paper before his arrest in 2018, according to information revealed by Sanad, a London-based rights group.
Sanad, which shared details about the case with Middle East Eye, said he was initially sentenced to six years in prison by the Specialised Criminal Court, a sentence he completed this year.
He was initially sentenced in July 2021, by which time he had already been detained for more than three years. However he was not released at the end of this sentence.
The case against him was reopened in December 2023, resulting in a 23-year sentence that cannot be appealed, according to Sanad. No lawyer was present at any of the court sessions.
He is currently held in Dhahban Central Prison in Jeddah.
According to Sanad, al-Hazzaa was under surveillance by an undercover informant before his arrest in February 2018.
While travelling to a wedding in Jeddah from his hometown of al-Baha prior to his detention, an informant sat next to him on the plane, the group said in a briefing about the case.
Upon his return from Jeddah, security forces, led by the same informant, detained him from a cafe where he was sitting with a friend, Sanad said, without specifying the exact dates.
Then they raided his home, confiscated his belongings, and ransacked his studio without a legal search warrant.
The raid caused significant distress for his pregnant wife and one of his children who was present, the group added.
Al-Hazzaa contributed to Lusail for one year after the Persian Gulf diplomatic crisis erupted, expecting it to end, according to Sanad. But when the blockade continued, he stopped his work.
Middle East Eye contacted Lusail newspaper for comment.
Al-Hazzaa’s caricatures, which he also published on his Instagram page, included humorous depictions of Saudi characters, with comments mocking the country’s economic and social conditions. It was celebrated by Saudi media, including in a lengthy interview with the Rotana channel that showed samples of artwork.
When reconciliation took place between the Saudi-led coalition and Qatar in 2021, al-Hazzaa’s family was hopeful about his release.
The charges faced by al-Hazzaa include alleged sympathy for Qatar and claims that he published 100 drawings that insulted the kingdom.