Family and supporters of a British father who was reportedly jailed in Saudi Arabia over a tweet say he is “trapped in a living hell”, as they appealed to the UK government to take urgent action.
Ahmed al-Doush, a father-of-four from Manchester, was arrested on 31 August last year while on holiday in Saudi Arabia with his family. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May this year on terrorism charges over social media posts about Egypt, Sudan and Gaza , according to human rights group Amnesty International.
His sentence has since been reduced to eight years, Amnesty reported.
Mr al-Doush’s wife, Amaher Nour, described the anguish her family have endured since his arrest. She fears for her husband’s health as he contemplates going on hunger strike.
“This past year without Ahmed has been unbearable for me and our children,” said Ms Nour, who was pregnant at the time of Mr Doush’s arrest. “The emotional and physical strain has been overwhelming.
“No words can express the heartbreak of raising four children alone while their father is unjustly imprisoned.
“Our children have never adjusted to his absence, and every day is filled with pain and longing. My greatest fear now is for Ahmed’s health and wellbeing, especially in light of his hunger strike. We are terrified for him and desperate for his safe return.”
Details of the “offending” social media posts remain unclear, but reports from his family suggest they are related to a tweet he posted in 2018 to his 41 followers, which has since been deleted. The tweet is thought to have related to the war in Sudan, which provided military support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen.
Amnesty said his family have had scant communication with him, adding that he has has faced repeated “punishment” for attempting to speak about his case and conditions.
Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, said Mr Doush and his family are being failed by the UK government.
“For one whole year, Ahmed al-Doush has been trapped in a living hell – abducted and separated from his young family and detained in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“UK officials should be doing everything they can to secure Ahmed’s release, but instead very little action is being taken. The UK government’s failure to advocate for Ahmed and help him return to his family is extremely worrying.
“It is vital that everything possible is done to urge the Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Ahmed if he is detained solely for exercising his human rights.”
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Develpment office spokesperson said: “We are supporting a British man who is detained in Saudia Arabia and are in contact with his family and the local authorities.”
