USCIRF Welcomes the Release of Two Religious Prisoners in Saudi Arabia

USCIRF Welcomes the Release of Two Religious Prisoners in Saudi Arabia

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes news of the release from prison of Salma al-Shehab and Assad al-Ghamdi. While in prison, both detainees were reportedly subjected to medical neglect, solitary confinement, and verbal abuse. Al-Shehab was arrested in 2021 for social media activity criticizing the Saudi government’s male guardianship system that imposes particular religious views. In 2024, authorities sentenced al-Ghamdi to 20 years in prison for “insulting religion” under the country’s counterterror law for social media posts.

“No person should be imprisoned for criticizing a government’s mandated interpretation of religion,” said USCIRF Chair Stephen Schneck. “Both releases signal the Saudi government’s recent gradual improvement of religious freedom conditions, but severe and systematic restrictions remain.”

“While we welcome news of their release, many other religious prisoners remain unjustly detained,” said USCIRF Commissioner Maureen Ferguson. “The U.S. government should press Saudi officials for the release of Mohammed al-Ghamdi, Nourah al-Qahtani and Manahel al-Otaibi, as well as call for Loujain al-Hathloul's, expired travel ban to be fully lifted.”

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. State Department designate Saudi Arabia as a “Country of Particular Concern,” for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. USCIRF’s 2024 Country Update on Saudi Arabia evaluates the male guardianship system’s religious restrictions on women and girls.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected]