Ahmed al-Doush, a dad-of-four from Manchester, has reportedly been jailed for 10 years in Saudi Arabia after being stopped by security while preparing to fly back to the UK
A British dad-of-four has reportedly been jailed for 10 years in Saudi Arabia over a deleted social media post from a Twitter/X account with just 37 followers.
Ahmed al-Doush, a senior business analyst with Bank of America, is understood to have been put in prison following his arrest by Saudi authorities on August 31, 2024, while on a family holiday to the country. He was stopped by security while preparing to fly home to the UK from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. He has now been jailed for 10 years after a state-appointed lawyer told his wife Amaher Nour, that he had been convicted of an offence at a hearing on Monday but that he could not tell her what it was.
Five months after his arrest, Amnesty International had said Ahmed was told that charges would be issued against him for using social media to spread fake, untrue and damaging news, and that he was secondly accused of having a relationship with an individual who threatened national security, reported The Times.vAhmed’s family believe these accusations may relate to a 2018 tweet he made concerning the situation in Sudan, with no mention of Saudi Arabia, which he then deleted.
They also believe that the second accusation is related to his alleged association with a Saudi critic in exile with whom he has no relationship beyond knowing his son. His wife was pregnant at the time of his arrest, before catching a flight back to Manchester Airport, and he therefore missed the birth of his fourth child.
Ms Nour said: “The authorities asked for his documents and we thought it was just a problem with his visa. He called me from security and told me to fly with the children on to Turkey, our transit stop, and said, ‘I’ll be with you shortly’.
“The night times are the hardest for me when I’m alone and it’s quiet. I keep asking myself why, why, why has this happened, and I can’t get to the bottom of it because it’s not rational in any way. he has no political associations.”
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, reported the Manchester Evening News.
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 that “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,” reported The Guardian.
Amnesty International said it was not until November last year that that Mr Al-Doush was able to call his wife and family at one weekly intervals. Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK said: “We strongly condemn this sentence and reiterate our urgent call on the Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Ahmed al-Doush, if he is being held solely for peacefully exercising his human rights.
“He must be allowed to return to his family in the UK without delay. In the meantime, Saudi authorities must uphold his fair trial rights, promptly share his court documents with him and guarantee regular access to both his family and legal counsel.
“We also urge the UK government to take all necessary steps to secure his immediate and unconditional release. The arbitrary detention of another British national abroad cannot be tolerated. Immediate and decisive action is essential.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting a British man who is detained in Saudi Arabia and are in contact with his family and the local authorities.” The Mirror has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.