Father of four jailed for 10 years over one deleted tweet, despite having just 37 followers
What began as a simple family getaway for
Ahmed al-Doush
has turned into a surreal and harrowing saga. The 52-year-old British national, a senior business analyst at Bank of America and father of four, was arrested last August at Riyadh's
King Khalid International Airport
as he prepared to fly back to the UK. His alleged crime? A single tweet, now deleted, posted seven years ago to an audience of just 37 followers.
According to a report from
Unilad
, Al-Doush had been in Saudi Arabia on a family vacation and was on his way home via Turkey when he was stopped by airport security. His wife, Amaher Nour, recalls the confusion and fear of that moment. 'The authorities asked for his documents and we thought it was just a problem with his visa,' she said. '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.''
But he never rejoined them.
Silence, Then a Shocking Sentence
For two long months, the family heard nothing. No calls, no legal updates, no clarity. When contact was finally re-established, it was sparse and tightly controlled. It would be months before
Amnesty International
confirmed that charges were being drawn—allegedly for 'spreading fake, untrue and damaging news on social media.'
According to his family, the accusation relates to a 2018 tweet about the situation in Sudan, a post that mentioned nothing about Saudi Arabia and was later deleted. Another charge—his supposed connection to a Saudi critic in exile—was equally bewildering to the family. Al-Doush, they claim, only knows the critic's son and has no political affiliations.
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Then came the blow. A Saudi court sentenced him to ten years in prison. A state-appointed lawyer informed Amaher of the ruling but could not even specify the offense her husband was convicted of. The family has been left reeling.
— AmnestyUK (@AmnestyUK)
"It's Not Rational in Any Way"
Amaher is now back in the UK with their children, tormented by a situation that defies reason. 'The night times are the hardest for me when I'm alone and it's quiet,' she said. '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.'
The ordeal has ignited calls for intervention from human rights organisations and the UK government. Amnesty International has condemned the sentencing and demanded al-Doush's immediate and unconditional release. '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,' said Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK. 'The arbitrary detention of another British national abroad cannot be tolerated. Immediate and decisive action is essential.'
— patrickwintour (@patrickwintour)
A Cautionary Tale for the Digital Age
Ahmed al-Doush's case highlights the perils of digital expression in an increasingly monitored world. A single tweet—long forgotten, unseen by most—now looms over his life with a decade-long shadow. His family continues to hope for justice, urging the UK government to step in and bring him home.
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In an era where posts can be weaponized and silence doesn't guarantee safety, al-Doush's story is a chilling reminder: sometimes, even a whisper online can echo through the iron bars of a prison cell.
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