Family of British man who was jailed for 10 years over deleted tweet to his 37 followers speak out

The family of a British father-of-four have spoken out after he received a 10-year prison sentence over a deleted tweet.

Ahmed al-Doush had worked for the Bank of America and had been enjoying a holiday with his pregnant wife Amaher Nour and their three children in Saudi Arabia last August.

However their trip away would end with a nightmare scenario when the 41-year-old senior business analyst was arrested at King Khalid airport in Riyadh when attempting to fly back to Manchester with his family.

He was later held at a maximum security prison and charged with criticising the government on social media and associating with a London-based Saudi dissident.

Al-Doush was ultimately convicted of the charge and handed a 10-year jail term.

Speaking out about her husband's decade-long jail sentence Nour called the decision 'heartbreaking' and accusing the UK Government of failing her family.

Ahmed al-Doush missed the birth of his youngest son, who was born while he was in Saudi custody (PA)

"[This] nightmare my family has endured for the past eight months continues into a never-ending abyss, exacerbated by the lack of clear information provided to us by the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)," she told the Daily Mail.

According to a report from The Times, Nour has not been made aware of the reason why her husband has been convicted, with a state-appointed lawyer telling the mother-of-four that her husband had been convicted of an offence but they couldn't tell her what it was.

The family added that they believe the charges may relate to a tweet which Sudan-born al-Doush had made about in 2018 about the war in his birth country, which has provided military support for Saudi Arabia's campaign in Yemen.

It's believed the tweet made no mention of the Middle-Eastern country and was later deleted. He is also said to only have 37 followers on the account.

Nour has also raised concerns about her husband's medical issues, revealing that al-Doush suffers from back and thyroid issues.

The father-of-four was arrested while attempting to fly home after a holiday to the country (Getty Stock Images)

"Before the judgment was handed down, Ahmed was already suffering with back and thyroid issues and was becoming increasingly mentally distressed. I can only imagine what he is going through now, knowing he won't see his family again for years," she said.

"He should be at home surrounded by his loved ones, not in an overcrowded cell surrounded by second-hand cigarette smoke."

Nour went on to criticise Foreign Secretary David Lammy, saying: "The judgment needs to be a wake-up call for the Foreign Secretary to act. Our children need their father. He has done nothing wrong."

When contacted by Reprieve, an NGO currently supporting the family, a Foreign Office official commented 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'.

Jeed Basyouni, head of the Middle East and North Africa death penalty project at Reprieve, told press: "When a British national is convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison, and neither his family nor his lawyer nor the Foreign Office know what crime he has been accused of, something has gone very badly wrong."

Responding to the case, a FCDO spokesman said: "We are supporting a British man who is detained in Saudi Arabia and are in contact with his family and the local authorities."

Saudi Arabia’s social media laws explained

The Bank of America analyst now faces a decade in prison (PA)

According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia has increased its crackdowns when it comes to social media expression in the country.

The NGO noted that people arrested over social media offences are typically tried in the country's Specialised Criminal Court, which has allowed anti-cybercrime and terrorism laws to be applied more broadly to online expression.

"Saudi Arabia has a long and infamous record of cracking down on human rights defenders, journalists and members of civil society, and their targets now include ‘ordinary’ members of the public who are peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression online," Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director said.

LADbible Group has approached the Saudi Arabian embassy in London for comment