On this day in 2012, Dawoud Al Marhoon (1995 - ), was arrested and indefinitely detained by the Saudi Arabian government after refusing to spy on anti-state protesters during the Arab Spring. After 10 years in prison, he was released in 2022.

After being arrested for participating in the Arab Spring protests, the Saudi authorities tortured him for weeks and refused to allow him to communicate with anyone on the outside world. For two weeks, Dawoud's family had no idea where Saudi authorities were holding him, and he was prevented from speaking to a lawyer.

In September of 2015, al-Marhoon was sentenced to death, to be carried out by beheading and crucifixion. Secrecy surrounding Saudi's execution practices prevented the family or the prisoner from receiving prior notification on when the execution would have been carried out.

According to the Middle East Monitor, al-Marhoon was released on February 2nd, 2022, having served nearly ten years in prison.