Saudi Arabia releases US citizen Almadi in surprise decision

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Mar 2023 09:42

Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a Saudi-US dual citizen was released from prison in a surprise decision from Saudi Arabian courts.

Sad Ibrahim Almadi, a US citizen of Saudi Arabian origin, was freed on Tuesday after being sentenced for 19 years in 2022 (Social media).

Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a 72-year-old US citizen of Saudi origin, was released from prison after being arrested in 2021 and sentenced for 19 years for criticizing the rules of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

His son, Ibrahim, told AFP that the Twitter posts which triggered the Saudi decision were on various topics such as the war on Yemen and the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The release, which was announced on Tuesday, came as a surprise to the family after the court had ordered an extension of the sentence from 16 to 19 years earlier last month.

While Almadi cannot leave Saudi Arabia due to an imposed travel ban, Ibrahim confirmed that "Yes, he [Saad] was freed five hours ago. He's in his Riyadh home," in an AFP statement.

Earlier last year, Ibrahim accused Biden of "selling" his father for oil after the President failed to publicly press the Crown Prince on the subject during a July meeting — and indicated Trump would have already gained his release if he had done so.

“I want to see [Biden] give some recognition to my father,” Ibrahim said.

It is worth noting that the State Department confessed it neglected to send someone to his original 16-year, 3-month sentence hearing on Oct. 3, which was tied to 14 tweets and his alleged failure to disclose his son's comparable online criticism.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed on October 19 that “the Saudi government understands the priority we attach to resolving this matter. Exercising the freedom of expression should never be criminalized.”

The State Department, however, has declined to officially label Almadi as "wrongfully detained", a bureaucratic term intended to put pressure on international leaders.