Front Line is deeply concerned following reports of ongoing and increasing threats and harassment against Mr Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair, most recently on 10 July 2009. Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair is the supervisor of the website “Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia” and the coordinator of a team of lawyers for a group of ten detained prominent human rights defenders.

One of these detainees, Dr Matrouk Al-Faleh, was released on 11 January 2009 after 235 days in solitary confinement, and was the subject of a Front Line appeal on 15 January 2009.

On 10 July 2009, while driving to his home, Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair was stopped by a white car without a number plate. The driver of the white car swore at Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair and threatened him that he would regret what he was doing. Between 1 and 6 July 2009, leaked information concerning a prisoners' strike in Al-Haer prison was published on the website “Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia.” This information concerned the lack of drinking water in the prison which had sparked the strike on 1 July 2009 and also contained the names of two prison officers who were said to be abusing the detainees. On 6 July prison authorities discovered a cell phone belonging to a prison detainee, which revealed multiple calls to Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair. Following the publication of the strike details, it is reported that the conditions of the detainees in Al-Haer prison improved. However, the prison authorities warned the aforementioned detainee that Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair would soon be arrested for publishing this information.

On 22 June 2009, Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair submitted a complaint to the Court of Grievances against the Ministry of the Interior concerning the detention of his client, Mr Abdul-Rahman Al-Shumairy, for 30 months in solitary confinement without trial. On 25 June 2009, a person from the Ministry of the Interior called the human rights defender's brother, Wa'el Abu-Alkhair, to condemn the law suit and threatened that Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair would soon be imprisoned if he did not stop his activities in support of his clients. On the same day, in Al-Haer prison, Abdul-Rahman Al-Shumairy was interrogated by guards about his relationship with Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair. The guards also threatened that Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair would be imprisoned unless his activities in defence of his clients stopped. The defender's father, Sami Abu-Alkhair, was also approached by a member of the Mukhabrat or General Intelligence Presidency, who showed him communications related to political reform, human rights and the case of the ten detainees, which had been signed by Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair and others. The intelligence agent threatened the father that his son's activities were harming the image of his extended family and warned that Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair was being closely monitored and could be arrested at any time.

When the Saudi Arabian Government denied Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair a licence to establish an NGO to monitor human rights, he created the online group “Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia”. When that site was blocked, he moved the site to Facebook in December 2008. On 6 May 2009 that website was also blocked. A few days previously, Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair had received a phone call in which he was threatened that if he did not close the website, he would be brought to trial and imprisoned for disseminating false and biased information that was a threat to security. Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair currently uses his personal Facebook page to publish news and updates about victims of abuse.

Front Line believes that the threats and harassment against Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair and his family are directly related to his work in defence of human rights in Saudi Arabia, particularly in defence of prisoners' rights. Front Line is seriously concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Waleed Sami Abu-Alkhair.