Pompeo Plans To Raise Case Of Jailed US Doctor During Visit To Saudi Arabia

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to raise human rights concerns and the case of jailed Harvard-trained Saudi-American doctor Walid Fitaihi during his two-day visit to Riyadh, the State Department said in a readout of his remarks to reporters

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2020) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to raise human rights concerns and the case of jailed Harvard-trained Saudi-American doctor Walid Fitaihi during his two-day visit to Riyadh, the State Department said in a readout of his remarks to reporters.

Fitaihi and seven members of his family remain barred from exiting Saudi Arabia as the doctor awaits trial on charges related to the kingdom's 2017 crackdown on corruption.

"I'm sure I'll bring up that issue and a wide range of human rights issues as well," Pompeo said when asked whether he plans to bring up the Fitaihi case.

Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and is expected to remain in the kingdom until Friday.

"Each of the visits I've had to the kingdom during my time both as the CIA director and as Secretary of State we've raised these important issues, the issues that matter a lot to the American people," Pompeo said.

Fitaihi faces charges that include obtaining United States citizenship without permission from the Saudi government and working with an organization affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood (banned in Russia), which Saudi Arabia considers a terrorist group.