Latest news with #AhmedAlDoush
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Mother-of-four's warning to holidaymakers after husband is jailed for 10 YEARS after visiting popular tourist destination
The wife of a father jailed for 10 years over a 'tweet' has warned Brits to 'think hard about the risks' after her husband was 'abducted' at a popular tourist destination. Ahmed al-Doush, a senior business analyst at Bank of America, lived in Manchester before the day of his arrest when he was swooped on at an airport on August 31 last year as he prepared to fly home. The British citizen was held in a maximum security prison under strict anti-terrorism laws, on charges that included criticising the government on social media and associating with a London-based dissident. His distraught wife has spoken out to warn too many people are unaware of the 'dangers' of travelling to the country which hundreds of thousands of Brits frequent each year. Amaher Nour told MailOnline: 'For years my family and I have enjoyed travelling to Saudi Arabia for holidays and pilgrimage – that all changed in August 2024 when my husband was abducted at Riyadh airport. 'I would advise fellow Brits to think hard about whether it's worth the risk after my husband, a British citizen, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Saudi Arabia for what we think might be a deleted tweet – but we're not sure which tweet, the evidence or the exact charges. 'The UK Government doesn't know the charges either and has refused to demand answers from Saudi Arabia. 'For as long as the UK Government fails to warn Britons of the dangers of travelling to Saudi Arabia, and fails stand up for its citizens arbitrarily detained abroad, other families like ours are at risk of being torn apart.' Mr al-Doush was put in solitary confinement for 33 days after his arrest and denied consular assistance as well as access to legal representation for more than two months. He was then jailed for a decade, with a state-appointed lawyer initially telling Ms Nour her husband had been convicted of an offence at a hearing but that he could not tell her what it was. The case was discussed by the UK foreign secretary David Lammy alongside his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, though details of their call were not disclosed. Mr al-Doush had not met his baby son Youssef, after missing the birth in December due to his detention. Ms Nour said: '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".' It was only once the family touched down in Manchester that they received confirmation Mr al-Doush had been imprisoned. He was reportedly blocked from having any contact with his family until November 17 2024 - almost three months after he was first detained. Mr al-Doush is believed to have been imprisoned in relation to a deleted Tweet from 2018 about the war in Sudan, his homeland, which provided military support for Saudi Arabia in its ongoing conflict with Yemen. He has not posted about Saudi Arabia on his X account and only had 37 followers. Dan Dolan, Interim Deputy Executive Director of civil rights group Reprieve, has written to the UK Foreign Office urging the government to 'update its travel advice to Saudi Arabia' so British nationals are 'fully informed of risks to their safety'. Mr Dolan said: 'The Saudi authorities have announced that they are investing $800 billion to transform their tourism sector to attract more visitors. 'Hundreds of thousands of Britons already visit the Kingdom each year. 'Few will be aware that an old, deleted social media post could lead to them being abducted, charged with terrorism offences and potentially sentenced to death. 'Few will know that there are currently foreign nationals on death row, at imminent risk of execution, after being caught with cannabis for personal use. 'Hundreds more have been imprisoned for similar acts, including Reprieve clients Hassan al-Maliki and Salman al-Odah, two scholars detained since 2017 and at risk of the death penalty for peaceful expression of their opinions. 'The UN has repeatedly condemned Saudi Arabia's 2017 counterterrorism law for violating international human rights standards and criminalising protected speech and association.' Ms Nour previously said night time is 'hardest' for her when she is 'alone and it's quite'. She added: '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 Foreign Office said: 'We are supporting a British man who is detained in Saudia Arabia and are in contact with his family and the local authorities.'
Washington Post
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
British banking analyst sentenced to a decade in Saudi prison, apparently over a tweet
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A British Bank of America analyst has been sentenced to a decade in a Saudi Arabian prison apparently over a since-deleted social media post, according to his lawyer. The family of Ahmed al-Doush believes the charges against him stemmed from a deleted 2018 tweet about Sudan that did not mention Saudi Arabia and his relationship with the son of a Saudi critic in exile, Amnesty International said in a statement Tuesday.
Associated Press
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
British banking analyst sentenced to a decade in Saudi prison, apparently over a tweet
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A British Bank of America analyst has been sentenced to a decade in a Saudi Arabian prison apparently over a since-deleted social media post, according to his lawyer. The family of Ahmed al-Doush believes the charges against him stemmed from a deleted 2018 tweet about Sudan that did not mention Saudi Arabia and his relationship with the son of a Saudi critic in exile, Amnesty International said in a statement Tuesday. Saudi Arabia's press office and the United Kingdom's Foreign Office didn't respond to requests for comment. He was sentenced Monday after being accused of violating terrorism and anti-cyber crime laws. 'The exact tweet is unknown,' Haydee Dijkstal, al-Doush's international counsel, posted Tuesday on X, the platform formerly called Twitter. 'His trial and detention involved fair trial & due process violations. The UK Gov should stand firmly against a British national's imprisonment for allegedly exercising his free speech rights.' The 41-year-old British national was arrested in August at a Riyadh airport while trying to travel to Manchester, England, with his family. His wife has since given birth to their fourth child. 'I rarely speak to my husband, but in the few snatched conversations we have managed, it is clear that Ahmed is struggling,' al-Doush's wife, Amaher Nour, said ahead of her husband's sentencing, citing his thyroid problems and distress after nine months of being jailed. The developments came while U.S. President Donald Trump was in Saudi Arabia, where several dual nationals with Western ties and Saudis have been detained in recent years over social media posts that could be viewed as critical to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto ruler.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
British father-of-four jailed in Saudi Arabia for 10 years over 'tweet he wrote seven years ago' blast government for failing to help him
The family of a British father sentenced to 10 years in a Saudi Arabia jail over a tweet have claimed he has been 'badly' failed by the UK government. Ahmed al-Doush, a senior business analyst at Bank of America, had lived in Manchester with his wife and children before the day of his arrest. Plain clothes officers detained the Sudan-born father of four as he prepared to fly home to the UK from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on August 31 last year with his family, The Guardian reported. He was subsequently held in a maximum security prison under the country's strict anti-terrorism laws, on charges that included criticising the government on social media and associating with a London-based Saudi dissident. But now, his distraught wife Amaher Nour has spoken out, alleging he is 'just another statistic in a long list of British citizens detained abroad'. She said today: 'To me and my kids he is everything. 'That's why the news yesterday that Ahmed was sentenced to 10 years in a Saudi Arabian jail is heartbreaking, even more so that we don't know why. 'And so the 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). '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. 'He should be at home surrounded by his loved ones, not in an overcrowded cell surrounded by second-hand cigarette smoke. 'Yesterday it became clear how badly the UK Government has failed me and my husband. '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.' The analyst, who lives with a chronic thyroid condition and back injury, was put in solitary confinement for 33 days after his arrest and denied consular assistance as well as access to legal representation for more than two months. He has now been jailed for a decade after a state-appointed lawyer told his wife on Monday, Amaher Nour, that he had been convicted of an offence at a hearing but that he could not tell her what it was, The Times reports. The case was discussed by the UK foreign secretary David Lammy with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, though details of their call were not disclosed. Mr al-Doush had not met his baby son Youssef, after missing the birth in December due to his detention. His wife was pregnant with their forth child when al-Doush was arrested - though he insisted that she and their three children board their flight back without him. Ms Nour 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".' It was only once the family touched down in Manchester that they received confirmation al-Doush had been imprisoned. He was reportedly blocked from having any contact with his family until November 17 2024 - almost three months after he was first detained. That month he appeared in Saudi court for the first time and was allowed a visit from British consulate officials. It has been reported the Foreign Office were refused access to the trial, but it is understood that they did in fact have access to Al-Doush's most recent prior hearing. He has been represented in the UK by the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Reprieve, who have campaigned extensively for the end of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. The group penned a letter to the UK foreign secretary David Lammy, the MP for Tottenham, advocating for Al Doush and received a reply back from a Foreign Office official. The response reportedly stated that while Al Doush's detention was difficult for the family, the Foreign Office 'cannot interfere in another country's legal processes and must respect their systems, nor can we get British nationals out of jail'. However, the official is believed to have confirmed that Mr Lammy is familiar with the case and added that British officials have repeatedly petitioned Riyadh over the conditions of Al Doush's detention. Jeed Basyouni, Reprieve's head of death penalty for the Middle East and North Africa, said: 'For the past eight months, Ahmed's family have grappled not only with losing a father and husband, but with the FCDO failing to push hard enough for his release. 'Ahmed's case underscores that something is seriously wrong with the UK Government's approach to its citizens arbitrarily detained abroad, and now Ahmed and his family are the latest people to suffer the consequences. 'It is staggering that the Foreign Office still doesn't know what Ahmed has been charged with, but there are indications it relates to a single tweet. 'Will the UK Government stand idly by while a British family is torn apart, apparently over a social media post?' Al Doush's UK lawyer Haydee Dijkstal, a barrister at 33 Bedford Row Chambers, emphasised prior to his trial it was unclear what he was being charged with or what the timeline was with his case. He is believed to have been imprisoned in relation to a deleted Tweet from 2018 about the war in Sudan, his homeland, which provided military support for Saudi Arabia in its ongoing conflict with Yemen. Al Doush has not posted about Saudi Arabia on his X account and only had 37 followers. However, it is thought the Saudis may also have objected to his friendship with the son of a Saudi dissident - with whom his family say he did not talk politics. 'The night times are the hardest for me when I'm alone and it's quiet,' Ms Nour told The Times. '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.' Al Doush's lawyer Ms Dijkstal told The Guardian: 'Under international law, a detained person has the right to be promptly informed of both the reasons for arrest and continued detention and of the charges. '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. 'Over three months since Al-Doush was charged, and 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. '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.' Al Doush has reportedly also not been allowed to select his own legal counsel in Saudi Arabia. It was reported in March that he was granted a single phone call at 6am every Wednesday with his wife, but was instructed by prison officers not to discuss his hearings or conditions he was experiencing in jail. Since Al Doush was working on short term contracts with Bank of America, his extended detention has also plunged the family into financial difficulties, with his wife back in the UK forced to use food banks to get by. A FCDO spokesman said: 'We are supporting a British man who is detained in Saudia Arabia and are in contact with his family and the local authorities.'
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Briton jailed ‘over tweet' in Saudi Arabia is being failed by UK, say family
A British man jailed for 10 years in Saudi Arabia, reportedly over a tweet he wrote seven years ago, has done nothing wrong and is being failed by the UK, his family have said. Ahmed al-Doush, 41, a banking business analyst of Sudanese heritage from Manchester, is believed to have been jailed by a Saudi judge on Monday after being held for nine months in al-Hair Prison in the capital, Riyadh. Non-governmental organisation Reprieve is supporting Mr al-Doush's worried family as they try to get more information and secure his release. His wife, Amaher Nour, was told her husband had been jailed by a lawyer who represented him in the Saudi court, but further information has been sparse. She said on Tuesday: 'To the UK Government Ahmed is just another statistic on a long list of British citizens detained abroad. To me and my kids he is everything. 'That's why the news yesterday that Ahmed was sentenced to 10 years in a Saudi Arabian jail is heartbreaking, even more so that we don't know why. 'And so the 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). '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. 'He should be at home surrounded by his loved ones, not in an overcrowded cell surrounded by second-hand cigarette smoke. 'Yesterday it became clear how badly the UK Government has failed me and my husband. '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.' Mr al-Doush was first detained in the Kingdom on August 31 last year as he prepared to fly home with his family following a holiday. His wife, pregnant with their fourth child at the time, was allowed to return to the UK but her husband was arrested. The exact reason for his detention and imprisonment remains unclear. Human rights group Amnesty International said Mr al-Doush was subjected to extensive interrogation without a lawyer present and before being informed of the charges against him. During interrogations, he was reportedly told that if not for his social media activity, he would be home with his family. Mr al-Doush has 41 followers on his X account. According to reports from his family, the 'offending' tweet, written in 2018 and since deleted, is thought to have related to the war in Sudan, which provided military support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen. Jeed Basyouni, Reprieve's head of death penalty for the Middle East and North Africa, said: 'For the past eight months, Ahmed's family have grappled not only with losing a father and husband, but with the FCDO failing to push hard enough for his release. 'Ahmed's case underscores that something is seriously wrong with the UK Government's approach to its citizens arbitrarily detained abroad, and now Ahmed and his family are the latest people to suffer the consequences. 'It is staggering that the Foreign Office still doesn't know what Ahmed has been charged with, but there are indications it relates to a single tweet. 'Will the UK Government stand idly by while a British family is torn apart, apparently over a social media post?' Amnesty said that, for two-and-a-half months after his arrest, Mr al-Doush's family was denied any communication with him or given the reason for his arrest. He was also denied consular access to UK Government representatives, the charity said. In November last year, he was allowed a call to his wife and then permitted weekly phone calls with his family. But in January this year, the calls were interrupted and have now become sporadic. The PA news agency has contacted the UK Embassy of Saudi Arabia for comment. The case has been raised multiple times with the Saudi authorities by Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East and North Africa, according to the FCDO. A spokeswoman for the department said: 'We are supporting a British man who is detained in Saudia (sic) Arabia and are in contact with his family and the local authorities.'
