On 16 June 2024, Mr Amr Abdelfattah, a French engineer and father of three, was arrested on the esplanade of the Grand Mosque in Mecca during a check related to his pilgrimage permit. After a tense exchange with the police officer conducting the check, whose behaviour was particularly aggressive towards Mr Abdelfattah, he was taken to the Haram police station.
There, he was informed that his pilgrimage permit was invalid. Subsequently, it emerged that Mr Abdelfattah had fallen victim to fraud in connection with the procurement of his visa, for which he was not responsible, especially since the Saudi authorities had themselves acknowledged such fraudulent practices in numerous similar cases.
Nevertheless, Mr Abdelfattah was detained at Dahban Prison in Jeddah and prosecuted for allegedly showing a lack of respect towards the police officer who had arrested him, as well as for making critical remarks about the country's authorities. On these grounds alone, he was held in incommunicado detention until September 2024.
Despite her best efforts, his wife was unable to locate him for more than three months. It was only in September that he was finally able to contact his family to inform them of his situation. His wife was then able to appoint a lawyer in Jeddah, who was authorised to visit him only twice. The lawyer informed her that Mr Abdelfattah was being tried before the Specialised Criminal Court, which has jurisdiction over cases classified as terrorism-related, despite no violent act being attributed to him.
According to his lawyer, Mr Amr Abdelfattah attended several hearings without being able to benefit from his lawyer's assistance, despite making explicit requests for it. Neither his lawyer nor the French consular representatives, who had been contacted by his wife, were authorised to attend the hearings. During a telephone conversation with his wife in December 2024, Mr Abdelfattah said that he had been tortured and subjected to humiliating treatment, including by the investigating judge, who had forced him to kneel in his office while being questioned.
The conversation was immediately interrupted and was under the supervision of a guard. During another telephone conversation in June 2025, he described to his wife the full extent of the physical and psychological violence he had allegedly suffered. He stated that he had been violently beaten and then placed in solitary confinement for several weeks. Prison officers then interrupted the communication once again. It was only later that his wife learned that he had been seriously injured as a result of the beating and had therefore had to be urgently transferred to hospital.
Since 5 August 2025, all communication with his family has been cut off. His wife has only been able to obtain information about his situation indirectly, first through the French consul who visited him on 21 October 2025 and then through his lawyer who met with him the following day. During this visit, the French consul observed clear signs of mistreatment on Mr Amr Abdelfattah’s body, including recent injuries to his wrists consistent with prolonged handcuffing.The most recent information regarding the victim’s situation dates back to 22 October 2025.
In light of all the elements of this case, the current situation of Mr. Amr Abdelfattah unambiguously meets the criteria of an enforced disappearance under international law. As long as the Saudi authorities persist in concealing his fate and place of detention, this violation will continue to produce its effects.
In the face of the authorities’ persistent silence, Alkarama calls upon the Saudi authorities to disclose without delay the fate and place of detention of Mr. Abdelfattah and to ensure full respect for his fundamental rights. It also calls upon the French authorities to continue providing him with effective consular assistance and to urgently intervene with the Saudi authorities to secure his release.
For its part, Alkarama seized the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on 12 January 2026 under the urgent action procedure, in order to shed full light on the victim’s fate and, at the very least, to ensure that he is placed under the protection of the law.