A British national has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, apparently over a now deleted tweet, though the exact reason for the sentence is still unclear, reports The Guardian.
The UK Government has been criticised for a lack of action on Ahmed Al-Doush’s case since he was arrested eight months ago. A separate Guardian article published the day before Ahmed’s hearing referred to a letter sent to Reprieve which stated that, “the UK government cannot interfere in another country’s legal processes and must respect their systems, nor can we get British nationals out of jail.”
Reprieve’s head of death penalty for the Middle East and North Africa, Jeed Basyouni, said: “This is what can happen when the UK government fails to stand up for the rights of its citizens arbitrarily detained overseas.
“A British man was abducted in front of his family and disappeared into a Saudi jail on charges unknown, and for eight months the Foreign Office failed to do what was needed and seek his release.
“When a British national is convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison and neither his family nor his lawyer nor the Foreign Office know of what crime he has been accused something has gone very badly wrong.”
She added: “It would be farcical if it was not a tragedy for this family who have been badly let down by the government.”
Ahmed’s wife Amaher Nour said: “I rarely speak to my husband but in the few snatched conversations we have managed it is clear that Ahmed is struggling.
“He has thyroid problems and is tormented by mental distress. He worries about his family particularly as he was the sole breadwinner. He missed the birth of our fourth child and our 10-year wedding anniversary.
“Because Ahmed is a British citizen we expected the UK to provide clarity amid a storm of uncertainty. But the Foreign Office refused to share information with me for months – citing data protection – while at the same time accepting assurances from Saudi Arabia at face value.”
“We think Ahmed is being charged for a tweet he posted seven years ago and subsequently deleted.
“Ahmed has been sleeping in an overcrowded cell that is filthy. My husband is a dedicated family man who is devoted to his children, spending weekends taking them to restaurants and the park. They are distraught and are constantly asking when he will be back. I no longer know how to answer their questions.
“For me the night-time is an empty void where I question over and over why this has happened to us.
“What Ahmed has endured over the past eight months is tortuous prolonged solitary confinement, unclear charges, a forced confession and excessive surveillance by prison authorities all managed by a powerless state-appointed legal counsel.”