Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi, a human rights activist, was persecuted between 2011 and 2013 for his activism, in particular for his involvement in the “Prisoner until When” campaign to defend prisoners’ rights, which resulted in interrogations, arrests and harassment of his family. He fled Saudi Arabia in 2013 and sought refuge in Turkey with the help of human rights NGOs, where he continued his advocacy work. In 2020, a female prisoner of conscience in Saudi Arabia was charged simply for meeting Abdulrahman in Istanbul. On 23 October 2021, while seeking asylum in Bulgaria, he was arrested and detained in the Busmantsi detention centre and later held at the request of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) without specific charges or legal grounds. He was then reportedly interrogated by a joint Saudi-Bulgarian intelligence team outside official hours and without legal representation, raising suspicions of collusion between Bulgarian asylum authorities and Saudi intelligence.
Alarmingly, on 9 February 2024, Abdulrahman received an expulsion order, despite his eligibility for protection under European and international law. His asylum application was rejected on the basis of unsubstantiated claims of democratic reform in Saudi Arabia. On April 23, the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) upheld the decision of the Sofia City Administrative Court (SCAC) to annul the refusal of the State Agency for Refugees (SAR) to grant refugee and humanitarian status. On 22 October 2024, the Sofia City Administrative Court upheld the expulsion order issued by the State Agency for National Security against Abdulrahman al-Khalidi on the identical ground that certain SANS statements are special and not subject to judicial review.
Asylum and freedom for Abdulrahman now! No deportation!
Protest at the Bulgarian consulate in Thessaloniki (Nov. 5, 2024)
Timeline
22 October 2024 – The Sofia City Administrative Court upheld the expulsion order issued by the SANS against Abdulrahman al-Khalidi on the identical ground that certain SANS statements are special and not subject to judicial review
7 October 2024 – A petition with over 1,100 signatures in support of Abdulrahman al-Khalidi’s immediate release was submitted to the Office of the President and the Council of Ministers.
9 September 2024 – The Sofia City Administrative Court dismissed Abdulrahman al-Khalidi’s appeal against his detention in Busmanci on the grounds that some SANS statements are special and not subject to judicial review
5 July 2024 – Mr al-Khalidi starts a hunger strike
5 June 2024 – The SAR rejected the release request again referring to the SANS opinions of “threat to national security” and despite the opinions of the courts of last resort.
23 May 2024 – Al-Khalidi submits a request for release to the SAR. SAR has seven days to respond
10 May 2024 – Al-Khalidi’s appeal against the expulsion order to the Sofia City Administrative Court is postponed until 9 July.
25 April 2024: The Supreme Court overturns the decision to deny him asylum and sends his case back to the Refugee Agency for reconsideration.
7 February 2024: Al-Khalidi is visited by an investigator from the National State Security Agency and handed an untranslated order for his immediate deportation.
26 January 2024: The Administrative Court rejects his release order.
22 January 2024: An administrative decision is issued by the National State Security Agency denying his release.
18 January 2023: Mr Al Khalidi attends a hearing at the Administrative Court in Sofia regarding his detention. The decision is made very quickly the following day and his release is ordered.
12 December 2023: His case for asylum is heard again by the Sofia City Lower Administrative Court. The court decides to send his case back to the State Agency for Refugees for reconsideration.
27 September 2023: the Supreme Administrative Court gives its verdict and decides to annul all lower decisions and send the case back to the lower courts for retrial due to procedural defects and errors.
20 September 2023: MENA Rights Group submits al-Khalidi’s case to UN Special Procedures mandate holders.
19 September 2023: Mr al-Khalidi is heard by the Supreme Administrative Court.
11 May 2023: MENA Rights Group submits al-Khalidi’s case to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
13 March 2023: Al-Khalidi appeals the rejection of his asylum application to the Supreme Administrative Court.
20 February 2023: The Sofia Administrative Court rejects Al-Khalidi’s appeal.
9 June 2022: Al-Khalidi appeals the rejection of his asylum application to the Sofia Administrative Court.
27 May 2022: The Bulgarian State Agency for Refugees rejects Al-Khalidi’s asylum application. 14 February 2022: Al-Khalidi’s appeal against his administrative detention is rejected; this decision cannot be appealed.
25 November 2021: Al-Khalidi is transferred to the Busmantsi detention centre near Sofia, Bulgaria.
16 November 2021: Al-Khalidi applies for asylum in Bulgaria.
25 October 2021: Al-Khalidi is arrested in Bulgaria shortly after crossing the border from Turkey.