Saudi Arabia releases dual Saudi-US national jailed for critical tweets

Saudi Arabia has released Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a dual Saudi-US citizen, who was imprisoned for over a year for tweeting criticisms of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman while residing in the US.

Almadi, aged 72, was arrested while visiting family in Saudi Arabia in 2021 for his tweets, which he made over the course of seven years while living in Florida. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison and also given a 16-year travel ban, which was to take effect after his imprisonment. It is unclear whether the ban will be lifted to allow him to return to Florida. While all charges against him have been dropped, he is currently in Saudi Arabia with his son.

Almadi’s son, Ibrahim Asaid, said that “He considers the United States home, not Saudi” and that his father needs immediate medical attention in the US. “For that [reason], the travel ban is quite concerning to us,” Asaid told NBC News.

Almadi’s tweets were critical of the Crown Prince and included a remark on Khashoggi’s killing. Diplomatic ties between the US and Saudi Arabia have been strained since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, who was a known critic of the Saudi government. However, President Joe Biden visited Saudi Arabia last summer to strengthen the relationship.

The Freedom Initiative, a US-based human rights organization, welcomed Almadi’s release and urges US officials to continue to press for the release of prisoners and the lifting of travel bans. According to the organization, there are still at least six US citizens detained or trapped under politically motivated travel bans in Saudi Arabia.