Bulgarian authorities defy court ruling and continue illegal detention of Abdulrahman al-Khalidi
Press release by Migrant Solidarity Bulgaria
Migrant Solidarity Bulgaria, 5 April 2025
Between 2011-2013 journalist Abdulrahman al-Khalidi is an active human rights defender and member of the peaceful democratic opposition in his native Saudi Arabia, which is subject to increasing repression by the dictatorial regime, including torture and death sentences, forcing him to emigrate to Turkey with his wife and children. Between 2013 and 2021 Abdulrahman continues his advocacy work from afar and joins the Online Bee Movement, launched by renowned human rights defender Jamal Khashoggi, a colleague and personal acquaintance of Abdulrahman. Following Khashoggi’s brutal execution by the Saudi regime at the consulate in Turkey in 2018 and the expiration of his family’s documents, Abdulrahman is forced to choose between:
1- risking entering the same consulate to get his documents renewed, with a high chance of Khashoggi’s fate, and
2- fleeing to Europe;
On 25 October 2021 Abdulrahman is arrested in Bulgaria shortly after crossing the border from Turkey. On 16 November 2021 Abdulrahman applies for asylum in Bulgaria. Thus begins a period of trial for him that continues to this day.
The text below is a press release of Migrant Solidarity Bulgaria – a grassroots organization for migrants’ rights in Bulgaria, which sends an alarm signal that Abdulrahman’s rights are still being violated and he must be released immediately, including because there is a decision of the Bulgarian administrative court to that effect.
31 March 2025, 17:00 – This morning, Al-Khalidi was summoned and presented with the DANS (the Bulgarian secret service – note of the editor) order for his transfer to the Migration Directorate section of the Busmanci detention center, where he has been placed since Friday.
His lawyer arrived shortly afterwards and representatives of the Migration Directorate refused to provide a written copy of the order. The only information provided is that the transfer was carried out in accordance with the DANS order of 05.02.2024 on his deportation to Saudi Arabia. Under both Bulgarian and international refugee law, it is currently illegal to act on this order while Al-Khalidi’s asylum case is still pending.
We warn of the imminent danger of further action to implement the order to deport Al-Khalidi to a country where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that his life is in danger. These suspicions should be assessed by the Supreme Administrative Court, where his asylum case is pending, and in the meantime, all actions related to the expulsion order should be suspended.
29 March 2025 – Migrant Solidarity Bulgaria strongly condemns the continued unlawful detention of Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi, despite a final and binding court ruling ordering his immediate release. This flagrant defiance of the rule of law by the Bulgarian authorities sets a dangerous precedent for all asylum seekers in the country.
On 26 March 2025, the Sofia Administrative Court ordered the immediate release of Al-Khalidi, a human rights defender, journalist and asylum seeker who has been detained in Bulgaria for more than three and a half years. He was informed of this decision by his lawyer on 28 March 2025. However, instead of complying with the court’s ruling, the authorities transferred Al-Khalidi to a deportation section within the detention center in an apparent move to prevent his release.
Police officers forcibly removed him from the State Agency for Refugees (SAR) section where he was being held without any prior notification. He was not given a written order in Arabic and his phone was temporarily confiscated, preventing him from contacting his lawyer. He was forced to sign documents without fully understanding their content.
The Bulgarian authorities could argue that Al-Khalidi’s detention was justified on grounds of national security, citing Article 67(3) of the Asylum and Refugees Act. However, under both Bulgarian and international law, exclusion on security grounds can only be applied after a final decision has been taken on the asylum application. Any attempt to forcibly return Al-Khalidi to Saudi Arabia or any other country considered unsafe violates the basic principles of non-refoulement, as laid down in the 1951 Refugee Convention, the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU Asylum Directives.
Al-Khalidi’s asylum application is still under examination, the appeal period is ongoing and his lawyer is preparing an appeal against the rejection of his asylum claim.
By continuing to detain Al-Khalidi, the Bulgarian government is in direct violation of a binding court ruling. This unlawful and arbitrary detention not only violates his fundamental rights, but also signals a wider disregard for due process and legal standards in the treatment of asylum seekers in Bulgaria.
Migrant Solidarity Bulgaria calls on the Bulgarian authorities to:
- Immediately release Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi as ordered by the court;
- Stop abusing national security provisions to justify prolonged and arbitrary detention;
- Comply with its international obligations and ensure a fair trial for all asylum seekers.
We call on the international community, human rights organizations and journalists to expose this injustice and hold the Bulgarian authorities accountable. The rule of law must be respected and Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi must be released without delay.
Migrant Solidarity Group
For press enquiries, please contact:
📧 migrantsolidaritybulgaria@gmail.com
📧 MSBG-S@proton.me
Protest for the rights of Abdulrahman al-Khalidi in Sofia (source: Migrant Solidarity Bulgaria)
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