Bulgaria should not deport Saudi activist Abdulrahman al-Khalidi and should immediately release him

The undersigned civil society organizations are deeply concerned about the case of Saudi activist Abdulrahman al-Khalidi, who is currently detained in Bulgaria and at risk of imminent deportation to Saudi Arabia. If deported, al-Khalidi would be at real risk of torture and other serious human rights violations due to his political opinions and activism in Saudi Arabia. We urge the Bulgarian authorities to respect their legal obligations under international, European Union and domestic law by immediately halting al-Khalidi’s deportation, releasing him from detention and reconsidering his application for international protection in a fair asylum procedure.