Fahad al-Fahad فهد الفهد | |
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| Born | 11 October 1982[1] |
| Nationality | Saudi |
| Alma mater | King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, University of Hull[2] |
| Occupation | Human rights activist |
Fahad al-Fahad (born 11 October 1982[1]) is a former business consultant[3] and Saudi Arabian human rights activist currently imprisoned for activism.[4] Al-Fahad was sentenced to five years in prison for tweeting about the criminal justice system and corruption in Saudi Arabia.[2]
In 2007, Al-Fahad graduated from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran with a bachelor's degree in marketing.[1] He followed that up with a graduate degree in advertising and marketing from the University of Hull in England.[2]
Soon after his return from Hull to Saudi Arabia in 2011,[1] Fahad worked as labor consultant in Jeddah where he was active in getting educated women into the workforce.[3] While working with the Saudi Ministry of Labour, al-Fahad connected with Waleed Sami Abu AlKhair where he joined Abu al-Kahir's salon, Smood. Also in 2012, al-Fahad accompanied Samar Badawi to Sweden to accept the Olof Palme Prize for her then-husband.[1] The following year al-Fahad took part in a workshop in Lebanon organized by Bahrain Human Rights Society.
On 6 April 2016, Fahad was arrested by Saudi authorities.[4] The Specialised Criminal Court, set up in 2008 to deal with terrorism suspects, held five hearing sessions with him over the course of two months.[1] In January 2017, the Court sentenced him in to five years in prison, plus a 10-year travel ban, and a lifetime ban on writing and social media activity.[1][2] He was convicted for "inciting hostility against the state, its structure, and its justice systems."[2] The sentence was based on Saudi Arabia's terrorism (3 years) and cybercrime (2 years) laws.[1]
Al-Fahad is currently being held detention in al-Dhahban prison north of Jeddah with other Saudi dissidents.[1]