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Topics: Crime, Twitter, UK News, Saudi Arabia, Social Media
Anish Vij
Topics: Crime, Twitter, UK News, Saudi Arabia, Social Media
The lawyer of a British national who has been jailed for 10 years after sharing a now-deleted tweet to his 37 followers has spoken out.
Ahmed al-Doush, a business analyst from Manchester, has been sentenced to a decade behind bars in Saudi Arabia, according to Amnesty International UK.
He was arrested on a family holiday by Saudi authorities on 31 August 2024 'for using social media to spread fake, untrue and damaging news against the Kingdom'. It is unclear what exactly the now-deleted tweet read.
Al-Doush was also 'accused of having a relationship with an individual who threatened the Kingdom's national security'.
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His family believe that the first accusations might have stemmed from a '2018 tweet he made concerning the situation in Sudan'. They claim that there was 'no mention of Saudi Arabia' in the tweet, and that it was deleted.
Al-Doush's wife was pregnant with their fourth child when her husband was arrested, and boarded the flight back to Manchester without him as he insisted for his family to get back. Once they landed, she learned that he had been imprisoned, and the Brit was only allowed contact with his family in November 2024, three months later.
Speaking of the initial arrest, his wife told the Times: "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."
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Since his detainment, Amnesty claimed that Al-Doush has faced 'multiple violations' of his fair trial rights, including being subjected to interrogations without a lawyer in the room.
For two months, he wasn't allowed to contact his loved ones, who were given no details at all of his condition or the reasoning behind his arrest.
Meanwhile, the second accusation 'is related to his alleged association with a Saudi critic in exile', as Amnesty International note that 'he had no relationship beyond knowing his son'.
And now, his lawyer Haydee Dijkstal said that al-Doush was not 'promptly informed of both the reasons for arrest and continued detention and of the charges' until months after.
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"This obligation not only means that the state must inform the detained person of the law and provision under which they are charged, but also the facts and evidence that form the charge," she told The Guardian.
Dijkstal noted that it's been 'over three months since Al-Doush was charged'.
"With indications of his trial nearing conclusion and a judgment imminent, it is still not clear whether the tweet allegedly supports the charge against him," the barrister added.
"This reality is not only in direct contradiction of the most basic principles of due process, but is exacerbated by information of numerous other fair trial and due process violations in his case."
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Sacha Deshmukh, the Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK, said the group 'strongly condemn this sentence' and they '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," he said.
"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.
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"Immediate and decisive action is essential."