Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi Released After Nearly Five Years in Detention in Bulgaria
At long last, my client Abdul Rahman Al-Khalidi is free!
After spending nearly five years in closed detention centers in Bulgaria, the Saudi human rights activist is no longer detained.
For me, this is an extremely important and emotional moment.
I have known Abdul Rahman for years. Throughout this entire time, I stood by him as his lawyer and defended his right not to be deported to Saudi Arabia, where there was a serious risk to his safety.
In 2025, the Sofia Administrative Court ordered Al-Khalidi’s release, but the decision was overturned by the Supreme Administrative Court. Despite this, we did not give up.
We did not give in!
We stood firm to the very end against the pressure to deport him.
And today I can say with tremendous satisfaction: Abdul Rahman is free!
After nearly five years in detention, the most important thing has finally happened – the man I have known as my client, and now also as a friend, is once again free.
I hope you can soon forget the bad times, the enormous difficulties, and all the hardships you went through in Bulgaria.
Go forward, Al-Khalidi!
Freedom is worth every battle
The story of Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi shows how complex cases can become when immigration law, international protection, national security, and human rights intersect.
For me, as a lawyer, this case is also an example of the importance of persistent legal representation in situations where administrative procedures drag on for years and the consequences for the individual can be extremely serious.
After nearly five years in detention, Al-Khalidi is finally free!!!