Dubai, United Arab Emirates – A UK bank analyst, Ahmed al-Duish, has received a 10-year prison sentence in Saudi Arabia, as stated by his legal representatives. His family believes the charges relate to a deleted tweet from 2018 about Sudan, which, notably, did not reference his connections to a Saudi prince or a critic of the regime living in exile, according to Amnesty International.
Neither the Saudi Arabian news agency nor the UK Foreign Ministry has commented on the situation.
Al-Duish was sentenced on Monday after being charged with breaching terrorism laws and anti-protective crime regulations. His international advisor, Haydee Dijkstal, mentioned on X (formerly Twitter) that the specific content of the tweet remains unclear. She also highlighted that his trial did not adhere to fair trial standards and called on the British government to advocate against the imprisonment of its citizens exercising free speech.
The 41-year-old was detained at Riyadh Airport in August while attempting to travel to Manchester with his family, just before the birth of their fourth child. His wife reported that communication with him has been infrequent, but it’s evident he’s facing struggles, including health issues, during their brief conversations.
In addition, there have been reports that multiple dual citizens of Saudi Arabia have been arrested over social media posts, particularly those that may be critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during a visit by US President Donald Trump to the country.
