Saudi Arabia Frees US Pensioner Jailed For Critical Social Media Posts
The Kingdom has permitted US citizen Saad Almadi to come back to Florida, five months ahead of the planned removal of travel bans and a day after the kingdom's leader and head of government met Donald Trump at the White House.
Judicial Proceedings Overview
Almadi, seventy-five, was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment in the kingdom in 2021 after he wrote 14 tweets critical of the Riyadh government. After 24 months, the allegations were modified to termed "cyber crimes" and he was given a 30-year ban on departing from Saudi Arabia.
"Our family is overjoyed that, after four long years, our father, Saad Almadi, is finally on his way home to the United States!"
The announcement that Almadi, a dual citizen and retired engineer who had resided in the US since the 1970s, would be free to leave the country came after the US president delivered a speech promoting US-Saudi ties, including arms sales and investment deals.
Diplomatic Recognition
"This moment would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the persistent work of his administration. We are extremely thankful to Dr Sebastian Gorka and the team at the national security council, as well as everyone at the foreign affairs office," it added.
The statement by Almadi's son, Ibrahim Almadi, also thanked various charitable groups, including the James Foley Fund and Hostages America, and House speaker Mike Johnson for supporting the elder Almadi's cause. He later posted on social media that his father was traveling to the US.
Wider Implications
Almadi is one of a small number of American dual citizens facing travel restrictions from Saudi Arabia following a clampdown on digital criticism. His son has earlier stated that Almadi was coerced to sign papers giving up his US citizenship.
The case against Almadi focused on social media posts in which he was accused of urged Saudi citizens to seek Lebanese citizenship and faulted the kingdom's defenses against Houthi rocket strikes.
Additionally, he supported the renaming of a street in the US capital after Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist and Washington Post columnist killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Related Incident
US intelligence reports released by the Biden administration later assessed that the crown prince had approved of a plan to "detain or eliminate" Khashoggi.
Asked about the killing, Trump said the crown prince "knew nothing" of Khashoggi's killing. The Saudi crown prince has maintained his innocence. He said at the White House that Saudi Arabia "did all the right things" to investigate Khashoggi's death, which he called "distressing" and a "huge mistake".
Diplomatic Pressure
US diplomatic efforts to free Almadi and allow him to return to the US has been increasing since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many urged Trump's assertion that he is particularly effective in repatriating US citizens held overseas.
When asked by a reporter in May about the case, Trump said he didn't know about it but promised to take a look. A few weeks later, one of his security advisors, Gorka, met the son at the White House.
"President Trump is the president of deals and he loves to do business with the Saudis and we will win your father back," Johnson said.
