Date of birth: February 1, 1957
Profession: Scholar
Place of residence: Saudi Arabia
Personal Life: Married with 18 children

Salman al-Odah
Case Updates
Case Status: Detained without trial
Date of Arrest: September 10, 2017
Charges: 37 charges, including “calling for change in the Saudi government” and “objecting to the boycott of Qatar,” and “inciting people against the ruler.”
Violations: Medical Negligence; Sleep Deprivation; Prolonged Solitary Confinement;
Incommunicado Detention; Family Members Targeted.
Latest update: (October 30, 2019) The judges in al-Odah’s trial request a final defense from al-Odah and indicate that a verdict in the case will be reached in a matter of weeks. However, his trial has been repeatedly postponed since then.
About Case
Salman al-Odah is a well-known reformist scholar, human rights advocate, and the father of Abdullah Alaoudh, a US-based activist. Al-Odah was previously arrested for his criticism of the Saudi government and held without trial between 1994-1999. In June 2017, al-Odah was banned from travel. Three months later, on September 10, 2017, he was detained. His arrest came one day after he tweeted calling for mending relations in reference to the blockade of Qatar. During the first session of his trial before a terrorism court in 2018,prosecutors called for the death penalty on 37 charges related to his peaceful activism and scholarship. Since then, his trial has been repeatedly postponed.