March 21 (UPI) — Saudi Arabia on Tuesday released a dual U.S.-Saudi citizen who was imprisoned for more than a year after tweeting about Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Saad Ibrahim Almadi, 72, was arrested for tweets that criticized the Saudi government in 2021. After facing a 16-year prison sentence, Almadi was released early Tuesday morning local time, CNN reports.
Almadi remains at a family home in the capital city Riyadh because he remains barred from traveling, according to his son, Ibrahim al Madi.
“Finally, our nightmare has come to an end,” he said in a statement posted to Twitter. “Dad was released last night and has been cleared of all charges. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the many U.S. government officials who pressured for my dad’s release. Your words and actions made a difference.”
In his statement, Ibrahim said he refrained from speaking publicly about his father’s imprisonment because he feared it would lead to further abuse of his father.
Almadi is a retiree who has been living in Florida and was visiting family in Saudi Arabia when he was arrested. His tweets that led to his arrest allegedly criticized the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been accused of ordering the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Almadi wrote in favor of renaming a street in Washington, D.C., after the late journalist.
In November, the Biden administration granted bin Salman immunity from a U.S. lawsuit accusing him ordering Khashoggi’s assassination.
Of his father’s travel ban, Ibrahim said, “He is not free until he is in the states,” according to CNN.
“As our family prepares to spend a joyous Ramadan together, I still think of the thousands of other families who will pass the holy month without a loved one,” his statement said. “Whether in Saudi Arabia or the U.S., far too many innocent people like my dad remain behind bars there.”
