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Saudi Arabia releases Muslim preacher held since 2017
Saudi authorities released in December a preacher who spent over four years in prison, an online human rights platform in Saudi Arabia confirmed on Monday.
Ali Abu al-Hassan was released a day after his father passed away, according to the Twitter account Prisoners of Conscience, which follows the cases of detainees in the kingdom.
🔴 تأكد لنا إطلاق سراح الداعية الشيخ #علي_أبو_الحسن، منذ ديسمبر 2021، بعد قضائه 4 سنوات ونصف خلف قضبان السجن. pic.twitter.com/cTcXmCYWtE
— معتقلي الرأي (@m3takl) January 10, 2022
Saudi authorities had prevented Al-Hassan from leaving jail to attend the funeral of his mother in mid-2019, according to reports.
The cleric was arrested in September 2017 and held without charge.
He had gained wide popularity over the past few years over his religious preaching, videos of which were published on his social media platforms and widely shared.
A number of clerics, activists, journalists and other officials – some of whom have not stood trial - remain locked up in Saudi Arabia for various reasons.
Saudi authorities also released imprisoned royal Princess Basmah bint Saud, according to reports on Sunday.