Manchester dad being held in Saudi Arabia jailed for 10 years over ‘deleted social media post’, organisation says

British national Ahmed al-Doush was arrested at the airport last August

A dad-of-four from Manchester who was being held in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to ten years in prison, thought to have been over a deleted social media post, a human rights organisation has said.

British national Ahmed al-Doush, a senior business analyst with Bank of America, has reportedly been jailed following his arrest by Saudi authorities on 31 August 2024, while on a family holiday to the country.

The Guardian reported how he was arrested by security while preparing to fly home to the UK from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with his family.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International said Mr al-Doush’s domestic lawyer in Saudi Arabia refused to share with his family what the sentencing was for.

Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE

Five months after his arrest, the campaign group said Ahmed was told that charges would be issued against him for using social media to spread fake, untrue and damaging news, and that he was secondly accused of having a relationship with an individual who threatened national security.

Ahmed’s family believe these accusations may relate to a 2018 tweet he made concerning the situation in Sudan, with no mention of Saudi Arabia, which he then deleted, and that the second accusation is related to his alleged association with a Saudi critic in exile with whom he has no relationship beyond knowing his son.

His wife Amaher Nour was pregnant at the time of his arrest, before catching a flight back to Manchester Airport, and he therefore missed the birth of his fourth child.

Nour previously 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.”‘

“The night times are the hardest for me when I’m alone and it’s quiet. 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.”

Since his arrest, Amnesty International say Ahmed has faced ‘multiple violations’ to his fair trial rights and was subjected to extensive interrogation without a lawyer present and before being informed of the charges against him.

For two months, his family also had no contact with him, nor did they receive information about his condition or the reasons for his detention. His contact with his family and UK-based legal team has continued to be severely restricted.

Amnesty International said it was not until November last year that that Ahmed was able to call his wife and family at one weekly intervals.

Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK said: “We strongly condemn this sentence and reiterate our urgent call on the Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Ahmed al-Doush, 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. In the meantime, Saudi authorities must uphold his fair trial rights, promptly share his court documents with him and guarantee regular access to both his family and legal counsel.

“We also urge the UK government to take all necessary steps to secure his immediate and unconditional release. The arbitrary detention of another British national abroad cannot be tolerated. Immediate and decisive action is essential.”

A Foreign Office spokesperson told the Mail: “We are supporting a British man who is detained in Saudi Arabia and are in contact with his family and the local authorities.”