Source: Screenshot

Advertising

Saudi Arabia has sentenced an American citizen to 16 years in prison, where he has been tortured, over tweets critical of the kingdom, his son told multiple news outlets.

The Washington Post first reported on Monday the torture and the Oct. 3 sentencing of Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a 72-year-old citizen of both Saudi Arabia and the United States, on what Saudi Arabia deemed as terrorism-related charges. He also received a 16-year travel ban.

Saudi Arabia arrested Almadi, a retired project manager from Florida, in November when he visited the Gulf nation over 14 tweets of his – posted in the United States over several years – that, according to the Post, “referenced Jamal Khashoggi, the Post contributing columnist who was murdered by Saudi agents in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018 … criticized the Saudi government’s policies and the corruption in the Saudi system.”

“He had what I would call mild opinions about the government,” Almadi’s son, Ibrahim Almadi, told the Post. “They took him from the airport.”

The State Department on Tuesday acknowledged Almadi’s situation.

“We have

consistently and intensively raised our concerns regarding the case at senior levels of the Saudi government, both through channels in Riyadh and Washington DC as well and we will continue to do so,” department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters. “We have raised this with members of the Saudi government as recently as yesterday.”

However, Ibrahim blasted Foggy Bottom over its handling of his father’s detention.

“They manipulated me. They told me to stay quiet so they can get him out,” he told the Associated Press. “I am not willing to take a gamble on the Department of State anymore.” Hence, his rationale for speaking out about his father’s situation.

Ibraham said the torture took place after his family contacted the State Department in March.