A British father of four, Ahmed al-Doush, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by Saudi Arabian authorities over a deleted 2018 tweet from a Twitter/X account that had just 37 followers.
Al-Doush, a senior business analyst at Bank of America, was detained on August 31, 2024, while returning from a family vacation in Saudi Arabia.
He was stopped by security officials at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport while preparing to fly back to the UK via Turkey.
On May 12, 2025, his wife, Amaher Nour, was informed by a state-appointed lawyer that Ahmed had been convicted, though the specific charges were not disclosed to her.
Amnesty International previously stated that he was accused of spreading false and damaging information via social media, and of having links to an individual deemed a national security threat.
His family believes the charges may stem from a 2018 tweet about Sudan, not Saudi Arabia, which Ahmed had deleted.
They also suspect that his only alleged link to a Saudi critic in exile is through the critic’s son, whom Ahmed knew casually.
At the time of his arrest, Amaher was pregnant and later returned to the UK alone with their children, where Ahmed missed the birth of their fourth child.
“He has no political ties,” Amaher said, expressing disbelief over her husband’s prolonged detention. “It’s not rational in any way.”
Amnesty International says Ahmed has suffered multiple fair trial violations, including interrogations without legal counsel and restricted communication with his family and legal team.
His family had no contact with him for two months following his arrest.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy reportedly discussed the case with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, though no details were made public.
The UK Foreign Office responded to human rights advocates by saying it cannot interfere in another country’s legal proceedings.
Sacha Deshmukh, CEO of Amnesty International UK, condemned the sentence, urging Saudi authorities to immediately release Ahmed if he is being held solely for exercising free speech.
“He must be allowed to return to his family in the UK without delay,” Deshmukh said.
A Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed, “We are supporting a British man who is detained in Saudi Arabia and are in contact with his family and the local authorities.”
