Rights Groups Urge Riyadh to Free Yemeni Writer

A popular Yemeni writer with a large Twitter following has been held incommunicado by Saudi authorities for months, human rights groups said Wednesday, calling for his immediate release.

Marwan al-Muraisy, a social media activist with more than 100,000 Twitter followers, was arrested at his home in Riyadh on June 1, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other watchdogs said in a joint statement.

Muraisy's arrest may have been "prompted by a few critical tweets and his links to activists", they said, adding that "his family has not seen him or heard from him since he was arrested."

In a separate statement released on Tuesday, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Muraisy's recent tweets did not appear "overly political or likely to lead to an arrest".

At least 11 journalists are currently detained in Saudi Arabia, according to the CPJ and RSF.

Saudi Arabia, which ranks 169th out of 180 on an RSF World Press Freedom Index, has promoted a modernisation campaign since the 2017 appointment of Prince Mohammed bin Salman as heir to the throne.

But the ultraconservative kingdom, which won plaudits in June for finally lifting a ban on women driving, has drawn heavy criticism for its treatment of dissent.

In recent months, Saudi authorities have detained several women's rights and opposition activists.

Some of those arrested had called for an end to Saudi Arabia's notorious guardianship system, which requires women to secure permission from a male relative or spouse to travel, study or get a job.

Riyadh leads a coalition that intervened in support of Yemeni government forces fighting Shiite rebels in 2015. The conflict has since claimed nearly 10,000 lives and pushed the country to the brink of famine.