Transnational Repression on EU Soil
EU engagement

EU
Materials

European Parliament questions, Commission answers, DROI research, MEP letters, and European institutional engagement on the Al-Khalidi case.

Deportation risk and failed relocation attempts

Bulgarian authorities have stated their intention to deport Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi and formally requested that he identify a safe third country willing to receive him. Despite official requests submitted by the Bulgarian government to other European countries asking them to grant him protection, no European country has accepted his relocation or offered him international protection as of the time of writing. He remains in administrative immigration detention in Bulgaria, facing deportation to Saudi Arabia — a country the Bulgarian courts and international organisations have identified as unsafe for him — with no viable alternative protection pathway yet secured.

European Parliament questions

Written questions to the Commission

European Parliament

Written question E-001410/2025

Authors: MEP group

Urgent written question to the European Commission regarding detention and deportation risk.

7 Apr 2025
European Parliament / Commission

Written question E-004644/25 and Commission answer

Authors: Ilaria Salis, Krzysztof Śmiszek, Cecilia Strada, Erik Marquardt

Follow-up question and Commission response on asylum, detention, return, and non-refoulement frameworks.

Nov 2025 / Jan 2026
MEP collective letters

Letters from Members of the European Parliament

SANAD UK

MEPs urge Bulgaria to release Saudi activist Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi

Coverage: SANAD UK

Coverage of an 18-MEP letter to the Bulgarian Prime Minister urging release and warning against deportation.

23 Mar 2026
ALQST

MEPs write to Bulgarian government expressing concern

Coverage: ALQST

Coverage of MEPs writing to Bulgaria urging protection and warning against deportation.

1 Apr 2026
European Parliament research

Studies and policy research

European Parliament · DROI

Transnational repression of human rights defenders

European Parliament study

Study on transnational repression and host-state responsibilities, contextually relevant to the Al-Khalidi case.

12 Jun 2025
Novinite

MEPs Demand Action on Bulgaria’s Continued Detention

Coverage: Novinite

Bulgarian English-language coverage of MEP concern over the continued detention.

2025
Supporting Members of the European Parliament

MEPs who have taken action on this case

The following Members of the European Parliament have formally engaged with the Al-Khalidi case through parliamentary questions, collective letters, or public advocacy. Names are extracted from verified source documents listed on this page.

Full list of MEPs who took action on the case

The following Members of the European Parliament participated in one or more of three formal actions: Written Question E-001410/2025 (7 April 2025), the Collective Letter to the Bulgarian Prime Minister, and Written Question E-004644/25 (20 November 2025).

Greens–EFA (10 MEPs)
  • Erik Marquardt 3 actions
  • Tineke Strik 2 actions
  • Cristina Guarda
  • Anna Cavazzini
  • Lena Schilling
  • Sergey Lagodinsky
  • Daniel Freund
  • Katrin Langensiepen
  • Mélissa Camara
  • Catarina Vieira
S&D (6 MEPs)
  • Cecilia Strada 3 actions
  • Krzysztof Śmiszek 2 actions
  • Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus
  • Murielle Laurent
  • Brando Benifei
  • Marc Angel
The Left – GUE/NGL (9 MEPs)
  • Ilaria Salis 3 actions
  • Damien Carême 2 actions
  • Mimmo Lucano
  • Estrella Galán
  • Rima Hassan
  • Catarina Martins
  • Özlem Demirel
  • Li Andersson
  • Isabel Serra Sánchez

Sources: E-001410/2025 · Collective Letter (Mar 2026) · E-004644/25

Background

What EU institutions can do

European institutions are not parties to the Bulgarian case, but they have legal and political tools to act: parliamentary scrutiny of compliance with EU asylum law, formal questions to the Commission on Member-State practice, monitoring of Schengen Information System alerts, and pressure on Member States to honour the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The materials on this page are public-record interventions by European institutions and Members of the European Parliament. They are organised here as a single reference for journalists, parliamentary staff, and researchers.

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