NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2024 –The Overseas Press Club of America strongly condemns the government of Saudi Arabia’s 23-year prison sentence of cartoonist Mohammed al-Ghamdi, who draws under the pen name of Al-Hazza, for expressing himself via his cartoons. The government recently extended the sentence to 23 years from six years already served. The cartoonist has contested the charges against him, saying they were fabricated. He was arrested in February 2018 by Saudi authorities, who accused him of producing “offensive cartoons” for Lusail, a Qatari newspaper, despite having ceased contributions to the publication.
The OPC stands with Mohammed al-Ghamdi and those expressing themselves as journalists – whether as reporters, editors, broadcast journalists or in this case, cartoonists – and condemns efforts to harass, interfere with, arrest or jail journalists for doing their work. We call on Saudi Arabian authorities to immediately release the cartoonist and restore his civil rights. Journalism and the free expression of ideas are not crimes.
The Overseas Press Club of America is the nation’s oldest and largest association of journalists engaged in international news. Every year, it awards the most prestigious prizes devoted exclusively to international news coverage. It was founded in 1939 by nine foreign correspondents in New York City, and has grown to nearly 500 members worldwide. The club’s mission is to uphold the highest standards in news reporting, advance press freedom and promote good fellowship among colleagues while educating a new generation of journalists.