Open letter calling for the recognition of international protection to Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi, detained at the Busmantsi Detention Center (Sofia)
 
 
We, the undersigned – journalists, jurists, academics, citizens, activists and civil society organizations, committed to the defense of human rights and freedom of expression – express our deep concern for the future of Abdulrahman Abdullah Mohammed Albakr Al-Khalidi, a Saudi citizen, journalist and civil rights activist, who has been detaining in Bulgaria for over three years and is now at imminent risk of deportation to Saudi Arabia and we demand that he be granted international protection.
 
Al-Khalidi fled his country due to the systematic repression carried out by the Saudi regime against activists, political dissidents and independent journalists. His commitment to civil liberties and minority rights made him a target of persecution. His forced return would pose a real and immediate threat to his life, given the Saudi authorities’ frequent use of torture, arbitrary detention, and the death penalty against dissidents.
 
On April 7, members of the European Parliament, including Ozlem Demirel (Germany), Erik Marquardt (Germany), Ilaria Salis (Italy), Mimmo Lucano (Italy) and Melissa Camara (France), called for action to ensure compliance with the principle of non-refoulement. Mary Lawlor, UN Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders, during the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, expressed concern about the violation of the principle of non-refoulement and called for ensuring that he is granted the protection he is entitled to. Furthermore, in September 2024, the European Court of Human Rights accepted the case (26364/24) pointing to evidence of potential violations, including arbitrary detention and a serious risk of deportation.
 
Despite his request for international protection and numerous appeals from international organizations – including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch – Bulgarian authorities have extended his detention without providing effective safeguards. His potential deportation would violate the principle of non-refoulement, enshrined in Article 33 of the 1951 Geneva Convention, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 3 of the UN Convention against Torture.
 
We strongly call on:
 

• To the Bulgarian government, to recognize Abdulrahman Al Khalidi's international protection and to immediately suspend all deportation procedures and to comply with the March 26 order of the Sofia Administrative Court, which definitively and irrevocably ordered Abdulrahman's immediate release, confirming the first judgment of January 18, 2024.
• To the Italian government, to activate diplomatically with the Bulgarian authorities and, if necessary, to propose a humanitarian corridor to Italy.
• To European institutions, particularly the European Commission and the European Parliament, to actively monitor the case, intervene urgently and demand compliance with EU standards on human rights and refugee protection.
•  To the media and civil society, to support and amplify the voice of Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi, keeping the light on his case that represents a dangerous precedent.

 
At a time when fundamental freedoms are under threat in many regions of the world, Europe has both moral and political duty to uphold the principles on which it has been founded: the right to asylum, freedom of expression and the protection of human rights defenders.
Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi’s life is in danger. Safeguarding it is a collective responsibility.