Ahmed al-Doush, 41, was arrested at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last year as he was preparing to fly home to Manchester with his family, and now faces jail
The family of a man jailed for a decade in Saudi Arabia over a post made on social media which was swiftly deleted has spoken of their “nightmare”.
Dad of four Ahmed al-Doush was arrested by Saudi authorities on August 31, 2024, while on a family holiday to the country when he was stopped by security as they prepared to fly home to the UK. Five months after his arrest, Amnesty International the charges issued against him were for using social media to spread fake, untrue and damaging news. His family believe the accusations may relate to a 2018 tweet he made to his 41 followers concerning the situation in Sudan, with no mention of Saudi Arabia, which he then deleted.
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He now faces ten years in jail. Manchester Evening News reports his wife, Amaher Nour, saying: “To the UK Government Ahmed is just another statistic on a long list of British citizens detained abroad. To me and my kids he is everything.
“That’s why the news yesterday that Ahmed was sentenced to 10 years in a Saudi Arabian jail is heartbreaking, even more so that we don’t know why. The nightmare my family has endured for the past eight months continues into a never-ending abyss, exacerbated by the lack of clear information provided to us by the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office).
“Before the judgment was handed down, Ahmed was already suffering with back and thyroid issues and was becoming increasingly mentally distressed. I can only imagine what he is going through now, knowing he won’t see his family again for years.
“He should be at home surrounded by his loved ones, not in an overcrowded cell surrounded by second-hand cigarette smoke. Yesterday it became clear how badly the UK Government has failed me and my husband.
“The judgment needs to be a wake-up call for the Foreign Secretary to act. Our children need their father. He has done nothing wrong.”
His wife was pregnant at the time of his arrest, before catching a flight back to Manchester Airport , and he missed the birth of his fourth child.
Since his arrest, Amnesty International says Mr Al-Doush has faced ‘multiple violations’ to his fair trial rights and was subjected to extensive interrogation without a lawyer present and before being informed of the charges against him.
For two months, his family also had no contact with him, nor did they receive information about his condition or the reasons for his detention. His contact with his family and UK-based legal team has continued to be severely restricted.
The case was discussed by the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, though details of their call were not disclosed.
Responding to a letter from human rights group, Reprieve, to Mr Lammy concerning the case, a Foreign Office official wrote on April 2: “The UK government cannot interfere in another country’s legal processes and must respect their systems, nor can we get British nationals out of jail.”