A man with dual American and Saudi nationality has been sentenced to 16 years in prison in Saudi Arabia for criticism of the Riyadh regime, posted on Twitter while in the United States.
Ibrahim, the son of Saad Ibrahim Almadi, told the Associated Press that the 72-year-old, who lives in Florida, was arrested in November 2021 while visiting family in Saudi Arabia, tortured and sentenced earlier this month.
Ibrahim explained that the father was arrested for 14 posts on the social network Twitter in the last seven years, mainly criticizing government policies and alleged corruption in Saudi Arabia.
The son said Almadi was not an activist but an ordinary citizen expressing his opinion while in the United States, where freedom of expression is a constitutional right.
Ibrahim revealed that the father was sentenced to 16 years in prison on October 3 on charges of supporting terrorism, as well as a 16-year travel ban.
If the sentence is fully served, Almadi will be released at age 87 and will not be able to return home to the United States until he is 104.
Ibrahim said Saudi authorities had warned Almadi’s family not to make the case public and not to involve the Washington government.
After the family contacted the US State Department in March, the elderly man was tortured, the son said.
Ibrahim accused the State Department of neglecting his father’s case by not declaring him a “wrongly detained” American.
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel confirmed Almadi’s arrest on Tuesday.
“We have consistently and intensely expressed our concern about the case to the highest levels of the Saudi government, both through channels in Riyadh and Washington, and will continue to do so,” Patel said.
The United States discussed Almadi’s conviction again “with members of the Saudi government” on Monday, the spokesman said.
Saudi authorities have so far not commented on Almadi.
Saudi Arabia has stepped up its crackdown on dissent following the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has tried to open up and transform the ultra-conservative kingdom but has taken a tough line in the face of any criticism.
In August, a Saudi court sentenced a woman to 45 years in prison for allegedly affecting the country through her social media activity.
Also in August, Saudi Salma al-Shehab, a medical student in Leeds, England, was sentenced to 34 years in prison in Riyadh for “misuse” of social media.
US President Joe Biden, who in 2018 vowed to turn Saudi Arabia into a “rogue” kingdom over the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, traveled to Riyadh in July.
Biden met with Crown Prince Mohammed in a meeting where he raised the issue of human rights, the US leader said later.
On October 11, Biden said he would reassess the bilateral relationship with Saudi Arabia after the Saudis joined Russia in cutting oil production by two million barrels per day, the biggest cut since the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Source: TSF
