Saudi Arabia Frees US Retiree Jailed Over Negative Social Media Posts
The Kingdom has permitted US citizen Saad Almadi to return home to Florida, well before of the planned removal of travel restrictions and a day after Saudi crown prince and head of government met Donald Trump at the White House.
Legal Case Background
Almadi, 75, was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment in the kingdom in 2021 after he posted 14 tweets opposing the Riyadh government. Two years later, the allegations were modified to so-called "cyber crimes" and he was sentenced to 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 declaration that Almadi, a person with dual nationality and retired engineer who had lived in the US since the 1970s, would be free to leave the country came after the US president delivered a speech touting US-Saudi ties, including arms sales and financial agreements.
Political Acknowledgments
"This day would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the tireless efforts 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 state department," it added.
The statement 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 supporting the elder 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 small number of American dual citizens facing travel restrictions from Saudi Arabia following a clampdown on online dissent. His son has previously claimed that Almadi was coerced to sign papers renouncing his US citizenship.
The legal proceedings involving Almadi focused on social media posts in which he was alleged to have urged Saudi citizens to seek Lebanese citizenship and faulted the kingdom's defenses against Houthi rocket strikes.
More controversially, he expressed approval for 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.
Khashoggi Case
US intelligence reports published by the Biden administration later assessed that the crown prince had approved of a plan to "detain or eliminate" Khashoggi.
Questioned regarding the killing, Trump said the crown prince "was unaware" 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 examine Khashoggi's death, which he called "painful" and a "huge mistake".
International Efforts
US pressure to release Almadi and allow him to come back to the US has been building since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many urged Trump's claim that he is uniquely successful in repatriating US citizens detained overseas.
When asked by a reporter in May about the case, Trump said he didn't know about it but vowed to investigate. A few weeks later, one of his security advisors, Gorka, met the son at the White House.
"President Trump is the master negotiator and he loves to do business with the Saudis and we will secure your father's release," Johnson said.
