Authorities of Saudi Arabia have released Sudanese journalist Walid Al-Hussein, who oversees the dissident Sudanese website al-Rakooba.
Walid was arrested on 23 June 2015 by Saudi security agents. Sudan’s government denied any involvement in his detention.
Sudan’s ambassador to Riyadh, Abdel-Hafiz Ibrahim, told Al-Sudani newspaper last September that the Sudanese government had nothing to do with the detention of the journlaist. “There is no coordination between the Sudanese and the Saudi authorities on extraditing Waleed al-Hussein,” he said.
The Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ) had said it was extremely concerned that Saudi authorities would deport Walid to Sudan.
The released journalist founded Al-Rakoba website in 2005. The website covers issues such as government corruption and human rights abuses, and publishes reports and editorials from Sudanese and international contributors.
Walid was reportedly being held in Ma’aloumat Prison in the city of Dammam, near al-Khobar.