The Kingdom Frees US Pensioner Jailed Over Critical Social Media Posts
Saudi Arabia has granted permission for US citizen Saad Almadi to return home to Florida, well before of the scheduled lifting of travel restrictions and a day after Saudi crown prince and prime minister met the former US president at the White House.
Legal Case Overview
Almadi, 75, was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment in the kingdom in 2021 after he posted 14 tweets opposing the Riyadh government. After 24 months, the allegations were modified to termed "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 at last on his way home to the United States!"
The declaration that Almadi, a dual citizen and former engineering professional 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 deeply grateful to Dr Sebastian Gorka and the team at the security advisory board, as well as everyone at the state department," it added.
The declaration by Almadi's son, Ibrahim Almadi, also expressed gratitude to various non-profit organizations, including the James Foley Fund and Hostages America, and House speaker Mike Johnson for backing 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 people with dual nationality facing travel restrictions 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 focused 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 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 published 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 "was unaware" of Khashoggi's killing. The Saudi crown prince has denied any wrongdoing. He said at the White House that Saudi Arabia "took appropriate measures" to investigate Khashoggi's death, which he called "painful" and a "huge mistake".
International Efforts
US pressure to release Almadi and allow him to return to the US has been increasing 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 questioned by journalists in May about the case, Trump said he wasn't aware about it but promised to take a look. A few weeks later, one of his national security aides, 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.