Saudi Arabia Frees US Pensioner Jailed For Negative Tweets
The Kingdom has granted permission for US citizen Saad Almadi to come back to Florida, well before of the planned removal of travel bans and a day after the kingdom's leader and head of government met the former US president at the White House.
Legal Case Background
Almadi, 75, was sentenced to 19 years of incarceration in the kingdom in 2021 after he wrote 14 tweets critical of the Riyadh government. Two years later, the allegations were modified to so-called "cyber crimes" and he was given a 30-year ban on leaving 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 former engineering professional who had resided in the US since the 1970s, would be allowed to depart the country came after the US president gave an address touting US-Saudi ties, including weapons deals and investment deals.
Diplomatic Acknowledgments
"This day would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the persistent work of his administration. We are deeply grateful to Dr Sebastian Gorka and the team at the national security council, as well as everyone at the foreign affairs office," it added.
The declaration by Almadi's son, Ibrahim Almadi, also thanked various non-profit organizations, including the James Foley Fund and Hostages America, and House speaker Mike Johnson for backing the older Almadi's cause. He subsequently shared on social media that his father was on his way to the US.
Broader Context
Almadi is one of a handful of American people with dual nationality facing exit bans from Saudi Arabia following a crackdown on online dissent. His son has earlier stated that Almadi was pressured to sign papers renouncing his US citizenship.
The legal proceedings involving Almadi centered on social media posts in which he was accused of urged Saudi citizens to seek Lebanese citizenship and criticized the kingdom's defenses against Houthi rocket strikes.
More controversially, he supported the rededication of a street in the US capital after Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist and Washington Post columnist murdered 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 authorized 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 "took appropriate measures" to investigate Khashoggi's death, which he called "painful" and a "major error".
International Efforts
US pressure to free Almadi and allow him to return to the US has been building since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many appealed to Trump's claim that he is uniquely successful in bringing back US citizens detained overseas.
When asked by a reporter in May about the case, Trump said he didn't know about it but promised to investigate. A few weeks later, one of his national security aides, Gorka, met the younger Almadi at the White House.
"President Trump is the president of deals and he loves to do business with the Saudis and we will secure your father's release," Johnson said.
