SAUDI ARABIA: DETAINED FOOTBALL FANS COULD FACE UP TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR CHANTING DURING MATCH

Saudi Arabia’s Shi’a Muslim community, which constitutes about 15% of the country’s population, is also its largest religious minority. The authorities have routinely prosecuted and convicted members of the Shi’a minority who have protested to demand equal rights. Courts have meted out harsh prison terms and death sentences as a political weapon against the Shi’a population to crush dissent

Authorities in Saudi Arabia must immediately release 12 football fans detained solely for reciting a folkloric chant commemorating the birth of Imam Ali, a figure revered by Shia Muslims, at a football match in January 2024 and publishing a video of it on social media, said Amnesty International, ahead of their upcoming trial session on 28 March.

If convicted, the fans, who are members of the Al Safa Football Club supporters’ association, could face up to five years in jail. They are among more than 150 people who were summoned and questioned in the first week of February, a few days after the game.

Security officials forced those summoned for interrogations to sign documents confessing that they “recited sectarian phrases” or risk detention, according to activists interviewed by Amnesty International.

“At a time when the Saudi authorities are spending billions on sportswashing and laundering their image globally, the arrest of these football fans is the latest stark illustration of their massive crackdown on freedom of expression. In this case, a minority religious group was exercising their right to express their religious folklore,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“The Saudi authorities must immediately release the 12 fans and drop the baseless charges against them. Saudi Arabia is currently the sole bidder to host the 2034 World Cup and this case highlights the serious risks that football fans face, as they may be criminalized under vague and abusive criminal legislation simply for exercising their right to freedom of expression. Football fans worldwide should be paying close attention to the outcome of this case.”

At a time when the Saudi authorities are spending billions on sportswashing and laundering their image globally, the arrest of these football fans is the latest stark illustration of their massive crackdown on freedom of expression. In this case, a minority religious group was exercising their right to express their religious folklore.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

In a joint statement issued today, Amnesty International and 8 other civil society organizations condemned the arrest and prosecution of the 12 football fans.

According to court documents reviewed by Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia’s authorities have charged the fans under the Kingdom’s Anti-Cybercime Law that prohibits the “production, preparation, transmission, or storage of material impinging on public order, religious values, public morals and privacy, through the information network or computers”.

In addition to the charges that the 12 individuals face, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation announced disciplinary measures against the Al Safa Football Club saying that its fans violated regulations by “reciting phrases and chants that violated the provisions of the disciplinary and ethics regulations”. The club was fined 200,000 Saudi Arabia Riyals (around US$53,000) and is now obliged to play the next five matches in its home base without a fan presence.

“The Saudi authorities must allow people to express themselves freely and without fear of repression and reprisal. There are dozens of individuals detained by the authorities under the guise of countering terrorism, currently languishing in Saudi Arabia’s prisons simply for expressing support for women’s rights on social media,” said Heba Morayef.

Background

Saudi Arabia’s Shi’a Muslim community, which constitutes about 15% of the country’s population, is also its largest religious minority. The authorities have routinely prosecuted and convicted members of the Shi’a minority who have protested to demand equal rights. Courts have meted out harsh prison terms and death sentences as a political weapon against the Shi’a population to crush dissent. 

In its latest report , Amnesty International analyses the country’s leaked draft penal code, which does not guarantee freedom of religion or conscience, and instead criminalizes several acts that are protected under international law, including blasphemy and apostasy. 

Amnesty International has documented how the Saudi authorities have repeatedly used the Anti-Cybercrime Law and other laws to crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression and thought, conscience and religion, demonstrating how the authorities routinely resort to abusive and vaguely worded legislation, citing tweets expressing opinions on a range of societal issues, supporting women’s rights and other forms of protected expression and association as evidence of threats to national security to legitimize their human rights violations.