Ahmed Al-Doush, a 44-year-old British business analyst from Manchester, has been held in Saudi Arabia since August 2024 for social media posts he made years ago. He has never met his youngest child, born after his arrest at Riyadh airport while he was returning from a family visit with his pregnant wife and three children.
Arrest and Conviction
Al-Doush was detained at Riyadh airport in August 2024 while flying home with his family. He was held for five months without charge and interrogated without legal representation. In May 2025, Saudi Arabia's Specialised Criminal Court sentenced him to 10 years in prison for allegedly using social media to spread false information against the government. On appeal in April 2026, the sentence was reduced to five years.
His lawyer, Haydee Dijkstal, based in London, stated that Al-Doush was questioned about tweets from 2018, which he had since deleted. The tweets concerned Sudan, his country of birth, and his acquaintance with the son of a UK-based Saudi dissident. Neither his family, legal team, nor the UK government has been permitted to view any court documents, including the judgment.
Family Left in the Dark
His wife, Amaher Nour, told journalists that she hides the truth from their children about their father's whereabouts. 'I tell them that he's away working because I don't want to say that he's in prison, as they're old enough to know that prison is a place where you go if you've done something bad. And he's done nothing wrong,' she said. Al-Doush has not met his youngest child, born after his arrest. Nour added that his voice is frequently unrecognisable during permitted phone calls, and he has gone on multiple hunger strikes.
'He is fatigued and confused why the British government aren't doing more to get him home safely,' she said. Amnesty International reported that Al-Doush is held in a cell designed for six to eight people but currently holds around 16 prisoners, with phone access frequently restricted. He has been warned not to discuss his health or his legal case.
International Calls for Release
Amnesty International has called the prosecution a violation of his right to free expression and urged Saudi authorities to release him immediately. Eilidh Macpherson of Amnesty International UK said: 'Ahmed Al-Doush has a family in the United Kingdom who urgently need him. He has been imprisoned for nothing more than social media posts — posts that would raise no eyebrow in any democratic country.'
A UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded in March 2026 that his detention was arbitrary under international law, citing multiple violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Saudi authorities, however, told the group there was evidence he had committed terrorist crimes, including support for terrorist ideology. The UK Foreign Office confirmed the case has been raised with Saudi authorities. In May 2026, Nour appealed directly to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for clemency on humanitarian grounds.
