Saudi Releases US Citizen Imprisoned For Critical Tweets: Son

Sumaira FH Published March 22, 2023 | 01:20 AM

Dubai, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2023 ) :A US citizen sentenced to 19 years in a Saudi prison for social media posts criticising the kingdom's rulers has been released, his son told AFP on Tuesday.

Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a 72-year-old of Saudi origin, was arrested in 2021 for what his son, Ibrahim, described as "mild" Twitter posts on topics including the war in Yemen and the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Last October, a court handed Almadi a term of 16 years behind bars, which last month was lengthened to 19 years before his surprise release on Tuesday, Ibrahim said.

"Yes, he was freed" and "he's in his Riyadh home," Ibrahim told AFP by phone from the United States, several hours after his father's release.

A travel ban also imposed last year means he cannot leave the country, Ibrahim said.

But he added that he intends to lobby for his father's return to the US so he can receive treatment for medical issues including back problems and diabetes.