The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances expressed its concern about the cases of enforced disappearance carried out by Saudi Arabia in recent times.
In a report on activities, messages, and cases addressed between May 13, 2022, and May 12, 2023, submitted to the Human Rights Council during its 54th session, the Working Group highlighted that it had presented 21 cases of enforced disappearance to Saudi Arabia during this period.
The Working Group expressed its "deep concern" about the arrest and enforced disappearance of individuals, including members of the same family, with the aim of punishing or intimidating dissidents.
The Working Group emphasized that there are no circumstances, including war, political instability, or any state of emergency, that could justify enforced disappearances by Saudi Arabia.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights has been monitoring Saudi Arabia's widespread practice of enforced disappearances against individuals and recently noted new trends in the enforced disappearance of human rights defenders after the completion of their sentences, such as Mohammed Al-Qahtani and Issa Al-Nakhifi.