Dissident Spotlight: Abdulaziz al-Dukhail
Abdulaziz al-Dukhail supported a fallen dissident in writing and spent about 15 months in prison without being charged.
On April 24, 2020, Abdullah al-Hamid, a prominent human rights advocate, died in Saudi Arabia. Many public intellectuals mourned his passing, including Abdulaziz Al-Dukhail, who wrote this tweet shortly after al-Hamid’s death:
“Dr Abdullah al-Hamid, the man who was devoted to his country and to values, morals and genuine patriotism, ascended to his Lord, but has not left the hearts of the faithful of the believers of the homeland, through the offering of advice without fear or glory and without personal interest. May God have mercy on you, Abu Bilal.”
It was a final kind word to a human rights defender whose work stretched back three decades and who inspired new generations of Saudi Arabian citizens to fight for their rights.
On April 25, Saudi officials arrested al-Dukhail. He was never formally charged, but he was arrested alongside other intellectuals who had criticized the regime. Al-Dukhail wasn’t released until July 9, 2021, over a year after his arrest. He was never formally charged.
Certain Memories are Dangerous
Al-Dukhail’s tweet didn’t explicitly mention the Saudi government or a member of the royal family. Instead, praising a famous critic was enough to be considered a threat to the regime itself.
It’s easy to think that an autocrat’s fight against dissidents ends when dissidents finally die. However, today’s dissident is tomorrow’s martyr, who could become the banner people rally behind to overthrow a long-abusive leader. That memory also has to be controlled, so public memorials for fallen heroes are often risky.
However, that hasn’t stopped people living under dictators from remembering the people who gave their lives to fight for them. Even Vladimir Putin couldn’t stem the tide of flowers and mourners in the wake of Alexei Navalny’s death.
Al-Dukhail is a hero himself for daring to publicly celebrate someone who aligned with his values instead of his oppressive government’s.