Career
He has been imprisoned several times for supporting the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in Saudi Arabia. In May 2005, Dr. Abdullah al-Hamid was sentenced to seven years in prison for "showing dissent and disobeying the ruler" after calling for reforms. He was pardoned and released on 8 August 2005.
In 2008, al-Hamid served a four-month prison term for "incitement to protest" after supporting a demonstration of women who were protesting the detention of relatives. The demonstration took place in front of Buraidah prison, in central Saudi Arabia. On 1 September 2012 Abdullah al-Hamid appeared in the Specialized Criminal Court together with Mohammad al-Qahtani.
Both read their defense statements to the court. The charges against al-Hamid include "spreading chaos, destabilizing public order, attempting to impede development in the country and questioning the integrity of official clerics by accusing them of being tools for the royal family". If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
End of trial
On 9 March 2013, al-Hamid was sentenced to serve 5 years in prison, as well as to serve 6 years of a previous prison term that had been pardoned by King Abdullah in 2006, according to Abdulaziz Al-Shubaily, an ACRPA member who said he attended the criminal court session in Riyadh. Al-Shubaily reported that the courtroom was "full of journalists, activists, as well as a heavy security presence." Mohammad al-Qahtani was sentenced to 10 years in the same case. The court also ordered the ACRPA to be closed, their funds confiscated, and their social media shut down.
Arrest of al-Hamid's lawyers
Matrouk al-Faleh was arrested 19 May 2008, at his office at King Saud University in Riyadh, where he is professor of political science, and released on 10 January 2009. It is believed the arrest was related to a letter written by al-Faleh detailing prison conditions after visiting Issa and Abdullah al-Hamid at al-Buraida prison. Rather than face a travel ban, which are typically imposed on anyone arrested, Al-Hussan moved to Bloomington Indiana, as visiting scholar at Indiana University's Center for Constitutional Democracy.