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
A British father of four is facing a decade behind bars in Saudi Arabia—over a deleted social media post on a Twitter account with just 37 followers.
Ahmed al-Doush, a senior business analyst with Bank of America, is believed to have been incarcerated following his arrest by Saudi authorities on 31 August 2024, whilst on a family holiday. He was apprehended by security as he prepared to fly back to the UK from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
He has now been imprisoned for 10 years after a state-appointed solicitor informed his wife, Amaher Nour, that he had been found guilty of an offence at a hearing on Monday, but could not disclose what it was.
Five months post his arrest, Amnesty International stated Ahmed was informed that charges would be brought against him for using social media to circulate false and damaging news. He was also accused of having a relationship with an individual who posed a threat to national security, according to The Times.
Ahmed’s family suspect these allegations may pertain to a 2018 tweet he posted about the situation in Sudan, without any reference to Saudi Arabia, which he later erased, reports the Mirror.
They also think that the second accusation is linked to his supposed association with a critic of Saudi Arabia living in exile, whom he knows only through his son. His wife was expecting their fourth child at the time of his arrest, before boarding a flight back to Manchester Airport, resulting in him missing the birth of his youngest child.
Ms Nour shared: “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.”
Amnesty International has reported that since Mr Al-Doush’s arrest, he has experienced ‘multiple violations’ of his fair trial rights, including being interrogated extensively without legal representation and before being informed of the charges against him. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here
For two months following his arrest, his family was left without any contact or information regarding his condition or the reasons for his detention. His communication with his family and UK-based legal team remains severely limited.
The matter was raised by UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, although the specifics of their conversation have not been made public. In response to Reprieve’s letter to Mr Lammy about the case, a Foreign Office official stated 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,” according to The Guardian.
Amnesty International has voiced their strong disapproval regarding the imprisonment of Mr Al-Doush, with Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK, stating: “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.”
Additionally, a Foreign Office spokesperson declared: “We are supporting a British man who is detained in Saudi Arabia and are in contact with his family and the local authorities.”
It has been reported that The Mirror has reached out to the Foreign Office for further commentary.
