Riyadh, Sept. 29 -- Saudi authorities have recently released Sheikh Saleh Al-Talib, a prominent former imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, after spending more than seven years in prison.

The advocacy group Prisoners of Conscience, which monitors and documents arrests of Saudi preachers and religious scholars, confirmed Sheikh Al-Talib's release in a post on X, adding that he remains under house arrest and is required to wear electronic ankle monitors.

Prisoners of Conscience announcement

Sheikh Al-Talib was arrested in August 2018 after delivering a sermon emphasising the Islamic duty to speak against wrongdoing. His remarks, critical of the Kingdom's General Entertainment Authority-which regulates concerts and mixed-gender events-and ...