STUDENTS DEMAND GOVERNMENT ACTION OVER DETAINED ACADEMIC IN SAUDI ARABIA - By ‘Bring Al-Hasani Home’
An opinion piece - by Alexandra McCann & Madeleine Collins on Behalf of Bring Al-Hasani Home
Academic freedom is under global pressure, as mounting interference from State bodies and international entities are increasingly placing pressure upon academic institutions to comply with the enforcement of monocultural and indoctrinated beliefs. We are a group of Monash University students, emboldened by the cause of incarcerated Australian citizen and academic Dr. Osama Al-Hasani and are campaigning both for his release and for greater advocacy by the Australian government and public upon the imminent threats to academic freedom.
Dr. Osama al-Hasani is a transnational intellectual and academic who has held fast to his right to freedom of speech and academic freedom in the face of extreme state repression and censorship across Saudi Arabia, Australia, the UK, and Morocco. He began his career as a professor at King Abdulaziz University and later held a government position in Saudi Arabia, which he was forced to leave due to political pressure linked to his critical views of the regime. After leaving Saudi Arabia, Dr. al-Hasani continued his career in business consultancy and gained recognition in Melbourne as a religious leader and Qur’an reciter.
In 2015, he was accused—under a different name—of involvement in a car theft conspiracy, a charge later dismissed in 2018. However, the charge, as well as a 2016 INTERPOL red notice requested by Saudi Arabia, was used to justify his forced extradition in 2021.
Despite the official reason for his extradition being a past legal case, many—including human rights groups, his wife, and legal experts—believe his arrest and ongoing imprisonment are politically motivated attempts to silence dissent rather than enforce justice. His treatment has been widely criticized as politically motivated and a violation of international law, given the risk to his life and freedom of expression.
The real cause of his arrest appears to be his public criticism of the Saudi government and his association with opposition figures. Reports from Human Rights Watch and other organisations suggest that Saudi authorities targeted him for his dissent and activism, not for criminal conduct. After a closed and opaque legal process in Saudi Arabia, Dr. al-Hasani was sentenced to four years in prison under unclear and questionable legal grounds.
His imprisonment conditions have been described as harsh, with reports of degrading treatment, lack of due process, and violations of his rights. The Saudi judicial system, based on uncodified Sharia law and lacking transparency, does not conform to international legal standards. Trials are often conducted in secret, without legal precedent or juries, and judges may not be formally trained in law.
Broader concerns include systemic discrimination, lack of legal protections for vulnerable groups, and widespread human rights abuses such as arbitrary detention, unfair trials, and severe punishments. Dr. al-Hasani’s case is emblematic of these issues and highlights the risks faced by those who challenge the Saudi regime.
The Saudi government has not disclosed Dr. Osama al-Hasani’s current whereabouts or the conditions of his detention. This lack of transparency reflects a broader pattern in which political prisoners are held in legal limbo, denied due process and external oversight.
Reports from human rights organisations reveal that prison conditions in Saudi Arabia are harsh, especially for political prisoners like Dr. Osama al-Hasani. Common issues include overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of medical care, and reliance on family for basic needs—something impossible in Al-Hasani’s case due to the secrecy around his detention. Detainees often endure beatings, solitary confinement, and sleep deprivation, which cause long-term physical and psychological harm.
Despite Saudi Arabia’s obligations under the UN Convention Against Torture, torture and forced confessions remain widespread, and such confessions are still used in court. These practices violate international law and create a climate of fear that stifles academic freedom and critical inquiry. Dr. Al-Hasani’s case highlights the urgent need for greater transparency, accountability, and protections for scholars in Saudi Arabia.
Although updates on Dr. Osama Al-Hasani’s case have been scarce in recent years, several human rights organisations and advocacy groups have continued efforts to raise awareness and push for his release.
Scholars at Risk (SAR), while not naming Dr. al-Hasani specifically in their 2021 report, outlined key recommendations for supporting imprisoned scholars globally. These include recognising state-led attacks on academic freedom, holding governments accountable, and ensuring the ethical release of wrongfully detained academics.
Human rights organisations such as MENA Rights Group and SANAD have been more directly involved. SANAD called for al-Hasani’s immediate release and compensation in 2024 as he neared 1,000 days in detention. MENA Rights Group has maintained a case profile with a detailed timeline of his arrest and continued to advocate for his rights.
Human Rights Watch issued a press release in 2021 calling on the Australian Government to pressure Saudi Arabia for updates on al-Hasani’s condition and to investigate whether he received a fair trial. However, there have been no publicly known follow-ups since then.
From the higher education sector, there is no clear evidence of formal engagement or public statements from academic institutions regarding al-Hasani’s case.
The Australian Government last addressed the matter publicly in June 2021 during a Senate committee meeting, confirming that the Foreign Minister had written to Saudi authorities expressing concern. No further updates have been provided since.
In summary, while advocacy organisations continue to call for action, a stronger, coordinated international and governmental response is urgently needed to secure Dr. al-Hasani’s release and ensure accountability.
Dr Osama Al-Hasani’s case epitomises the inherent need for academic freedom in a rapidly globalising world. Academic freedom is central to liberty and freedom and thus its defence is integral to ensuring the integrity of academic freedom and discovery worldwide. The case of Dr Osama Al-Hasani highlights the call for greater action and accountability for nations worldwide.
Experts have augmented the importance of academic freedom, touting it as serving a dualistic truth function as well as providing a space of reason in democratic societies. This is a right that should be enjoyed by all, irrespective of class, race, creed and sex. Academic freedom, whilst somewhat ambiguous in definition has been defined by the American Association of University Professors in 1940 as being “the freedom of a teacher or researcher in higher education to investigate and discuss the issues in his or her academic field, and to teach or publish findings without interference from political figures, boards of trustees, donors, or other entities…” As we have witnessed in totalitarian regimes with monocultural policies where there is an absence of open debate and divergence of opinion there is often ongoing abuses of human rights, individual freedom of speech and the ostracising of already marginalised groups within society. Allowance for academic scholars, educators and students to pursue knowledge, teach and learn without undue interference is essential to the protection of extramural speech.
This is of paramount importance as we enter an age where oppression and coercive control of education institutions by world leaders such as Donald Trump or Mohammed bin Salman through means such as funding, legislation and oppressive threats of harm, imprisonment or displacement are mounting. As students at a tertiary level, occupying an already privileged position, we must look to the threats that the world and we in Australia face to our academic freedom and integrity and advocate for better protections, policy and ambassadorial advocacy for citizens such as Dr. Osama Al-Hasani and our own protection of academic freedom.
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