HRW calls on Saudi Arabia to release 12 football fans imprisoned for chanting during match
Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced that a Saudi court issued a verdict on March 27, 2024, sentencing 12 football fans to prison terms ranging from six months to a year due to their peaceful chants during a football match in January.
The organization called on the Saudi authorities to immediately cancel this verdict, as it is based solely on the peaceful expression of enthusiastic fans.
The Saudi police summoned and arrested the fans after a video circulated on social media showing them singing Shia religious chants during the match.
The Saudi Criminal Court in Dammam issued sentences of one year in prison with a fine of 10,000 Saudi riyals (approximately $2,666) for some fans, while others received sentences of one year in prison and a fine of 5,000 riyals (about $1,333).
Joy Shya, a Saudi researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “Imprisoning football fans for their chants during the match adds to the reasons why FIFA’s manipulation to make Saudi Arabia the sole leading contender to host the 2034 World Cup is not only embarrassing but also dangerous. How can football fans feel safe in Saudi Arabia if they can easily be sentenced to prison just because their chants do not please the government?”
On January 24, during a football match between the “Safa” and “Al-Bukayriyah” clubs in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia, a group of Safa fans were filmed peacefully singing Shia religious chants celebrating the birth of Imam Ali, whom Shia Muslims consider their first Imam.
According to an informedsource, in the days following the match, more than 150 fans were summoned by the Qatif police for questioning and most were released, but 12 individuals were detained in Dammam public prison.
