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Urgent Action: Release arbitrarily detained British national Ahmed al-Doush

141 days left to demand change

Saudi authorities arrested British national Ahmed al-Doush, a senior business analyst with Bank of America, on 31 August 2024 at the airport in Riyadh as he was returning to the UK after visiting Saudi Arabia with his wife and children.

The Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) sentenced him to 10 years in prison on 12 May 2025, shortened to eight years on appeal in June 2025, and then to five years in April 2026. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) recently concluded that his detention is arbitrary under international law and that he should be immediately released.

Ahmed al-Doush is currently held in al-Hair Prison in the capital Riyadh. As a result of restrictions by prison authorities on what he can share with his wife during his phone calls with her, she has not received detailed information about his court proceedings, including evidence against him or the charge sheet, trial judgment or appeal judgment, nor updates on prison conditions or his health.

During interrogations, he said to his family that he was told that if not for his social media activity, he would be home with his family. Notably, his X account has only 37 followers and a total of four posts. In his first hearing in late January 2025, after nearly five months of being denied access to a court, the judge told him that charges would be issued for using social media to spread fake, untrue and damaging news against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and that he was accused of having a relationship with an individual who threatened the Kingdom's national security.

Ahmed al-Doush’s mental well-being has deteriorated significantly in prison - write to the Minister of Justice to demand he be released immediately.

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Target: Minister of Justice, Walid bin Mohammad AlSama’ani

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Dear Minister of Justice, Walid bin Mohammad AlSama’ani,

Your Excellency,

I am deeply concerned about the mental well-being of British national Ahmed al-Doush, who is arbitrarily detained and serving five years in prison after an unfair trial. Ahmed al-Doush was detained at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 31 August 2024 when he was travelling back home to the UK with his wife and their three children after a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities have not shared court documents, including the trial and appeal judgments, with his family. Ahmed al-Doush has informed his family that his detention relates to old social media activity and an alleged association with a Saudi critic in exile with whom he has no relationship beyond knowing his son. According to information shared by Saudi authorities with the UN WGAD on 2 May 2025, Ahmed al-Doush was accused of committing “terrorist crimes” and was charged under Article 34 and 43 of the Anti-Terrorism Crimes Law – the same provisions used in similar cases criminalising expression on social media. The Working Group said it was “satisfied with the evidence that Mr. al-Doush’s detention arose due to his social media posts and his perceived association with a known critic of the Government of Saudi Arabia and that they form the bases for his arrest and continued detention”.

Ahmed al-Doush has only been allowed restricted phone communication with his family. He told his wife in April 2025 that he was instructed by prison authorities to only check in with her and the children during the calls, and that if he discussed anything about his conditions of detention, health or legal proceedings and charges against him, that the call would be terminated and there would be punishment. His family reported that he was recently denied contact with them for almost three weeks because he spoke to his children in English.

The SCC has routinely used vague provisions under the anti-cybercrime and counter-terror laws equating peaceful expression with “terrorism”. Amnesty International has documented the Saudi authorities’ increasing crackdown on freedom of expression, targeting both citizens and foreign nationals, many of whom have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression. The Saudi authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Ahmed al-Doush. Until then, they must prevent further violations of his fair trial rights and ensure he has regular access to his family and legal representation.

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