With safe spaces for expression inside Saudi Arabia steadily disappearing, as arbitrary detention becomes more common and harsh defamation laws prevent activists and intellectuals from speaking openly, many have pushed to continue their advocacy from abroad.
The kingdom has long been known for pursuing political dissidents both at home and overseas, with cases such as women’s rights defender Loujain al-Hathloul, the arrest and extradition of Australian-Saudi Doctor Osama Al-Hasani from Morocco, the assassination of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi underscoring the risks faced by those who speak out, even outside national borders.
Loujain al-Hathloul, a prominent Saudi activist who campaigned against the driving ban and the male guardianship system, was arrested by UAE authorities and forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia, where she was detained and subjected to torture before her conditional release in 2021. Similarly, Australian-Saudi Dr. Osama Al-Hasani was arrested in Morocco and extradited to Saudi Arabia in 2021, highlighting the kingdom’s reach in pursuing dissidents abroad.
The most shocking example of Saudi Arabia’s reach beyond its borders remains the assassination of U.S.-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Khashoggi had chosen to go into self-exile in the United States, where he openly criticised his government’s repressive policies and brutal crackdowns. Despite his caution, he reportedly feared that entering the consulate might put him in danger, yet he went to obtain routine documents for his upcoming marriage. The case has recently resurfaced in the public eye after US President Donald Trump denied that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved in the assassination, reigniting debate about accountability and impunity. Yet a 2021 report by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence not only classified Khashoggi’s death as murder, but explicitly concluded that the Crown Prince approved the operation.
While Khashoggi’s assassination highlighted the extreme lengths to which Saudi authorities will go to silence critics abroad, recent findings show that repression is not limited to exiled activists. The SANAD Human Rights Organization’s recent report highlights an additional method of repression employed by the Saudi government: exerting pressure on activists by arresting and intimidating their family members within the Kingdom, using them as leverage to enforce compliance and silence dissent.
The report details cases where family members including mothers, brothers, and children have been arrested over trivial pretexts, such as allegedly posting tweets from an anonymous Twitter account. The accusations were minor and did not involve any incitement to violence, yet the consequences were severe. The punishments imposed on these family members ranged from imprisonment and travel bans to the cutting of all communication with their relatives. Many also faced both physical and psychological torture, as well as interrogations and trials conducted without legal counsel. This strategy did not only target individuals who had already expressed dissent. It was deliberately designed to deter anyone who might have considered speaking out, sending a stark message that criticism of the state would come at the expense of one’s family.
These cases, taken together, show that Saudi Arabia’s repression is no longer confined by geography. Whether through transnational operations or pressure on families at home, the state has developed a multi-layered strategy to silence dissent wherever it may arise. The SANAD findings should serve as a wake-up call for governments and human rights organisations to strengthen protections for activists abroad and ensure accountability for abuses.