A British dad has been jailed for 10 years in Saudi Arabia over a deleted tweet on his account with only 37 followers.
Ahmed al-Doush, a senior business analyst with Bank of America, was jailed in the Middle Eastern country on August 31, 2024, whilst holidaying with his family.
Whilst trying to fly home to the UK from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, he was stopped by authorities.
He has since been held in a maximum security prison, where he spent the first 33 days in solitary confinement.
Ahmed al-Doush was jailed in the Middle Eastern country on August 31, 2024
Amnesty International
Human rights organisation Amnesty International said al-Doush's domestic lawyer in Saudi Arabia initially refused to share with his family what the sentencing was for.
Five months later, the group said that the dad was told that charges would be issued against him for using social media to spread fake, untrue and damaging news.
He was secondly accused of having a relationship with an individual who threatened national security.
His family believe that the accusations could relate to a tweet he made in 2018 regarding the situation in Sudan, which he then deleted. The post made no mention to Saudi Arabia.
They also think the second accusation is connected to his alleged association with a Saudi critic who is in exile. They say he has no relation to the individual, apart from knowing his son.
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Whilst trying to fly home to the UK from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, he was stopped by authorities.
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Al-Doush has not met his fourth child, baby Youseff, who was born in December whilst he was in detention.
His wife, Amaher Nour, relayed the moment he was stopped at security to The Times.
She 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’.”
Touching down in Manchester, the family received the news that al-Doush had been imprisoned.
Since his arrest, the analyst said that he has faced “multiple violations” to his fair trial rights.
He said he has also been subjected to extensive interrogation without a lawyer present and before being informed of the charges against him.
Since his arrest, the analyst said that he has faced 'multiple violations' to his fair trial rights
Nour said that he has only received three consular visits since his imprisonment last summer.
She said: “Ahmed has been sleeping in an overcrowded cell that is filthy. My husband is a dedicated family man who is devoted to his children, spending weekends taking them to restaurants and the park. They are distraught and are constantly asking when he will be back. I no longer know how to answer their questions.
“For me the night-time is an empty void where I question over and over why this has happened to us.
“What Ahmed has endured over the past eight months is tortuous prolonged solitary confinement, unclear charges, a forced confession and excessive surveillance by prison authorities all managed by a powerless state-appointed legal counsel.”
Haydee Dijkstal, a barrister and the international counsel for al-Doush, said: “Online expression, even if expressing concern or criticism of a government, should not be criminalised or lead to detention and imprisonment. Using anti-terrorism legislation to punish and repress online expression on social media with severe prison sentences is inconsistent with international law and human rights standards.”
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.”
