Saudi Arabia has agreed to allow US citizen Saad Almadi to come back to Florida, five months ahead of the scheduled lifting of travel bans and a day after Saudi crown prince and prime minister met Donald Trump at the White House.
Judicial Proceedings Background
Almadi, seventy-five, was given 19 years of imprisonment in the kingdom in 2021 after he wrote 14 tweets opposing the Riyadh government. Two years later, the allegations were modified to so-called "cyber crimes" and he was sentenced to a 30-year ban on leaving Saudi Arabia.
"Our family rejoices that, after four long years, our father, Saad Almadi, is at last on his way home to the United States!"
The declaration that Almadi, a person with dual nationality and retired engineer who had lived in the US since the 1970s, would be allowed to depart the country came after the US president delivered a speech promoting US-Saudi ties, including weapons deals and financial agreements.
Diplomatic Acknowledgments
"This moment would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the persistent work of his administration. We are deeply grateful to Dr Sebastian Gorka and the team at the security advisory board, as well as everyone at the state department," it added.
The declaration by Almadi's son, Ibrahim Almadi, also thanked various charitable groups, including the James Foley Fund and Hostages America, and House speaker Mike Johnson for backing the older Almadi's cause. He subsequently shared on social media that his father was traveling to the US.
Wider Implications
Almadi is one of a handful of American dual citizens facing exit bans from Saudi Arabia following a clampdown on digital criticism. His son has previously claimed that Almadi was coerced to sign papers renouncing his US citizenship.
The legal proceedings involving Almadi centered on social media posts in which he was alleged to have urged Saudi citizens to seek Lebanese citizenship and criticized the kingdom's defenses against Houthi rocket strikes.
Additionally, he expressed approval for the renaming of a street in the US capital after Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist and Washington Post columnist killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Khashoggi Case
US intelligence reports published by the Biden administration later assessed that the crown prince had authorized of a plan to "capture or kill" Khashoggi.
Asked about the killing, Trump said the crown prince "was unaware" of Khashoggi's killing. The Saudi crown prince has denied any wrongdoing. He said at the White House that Saudi Arabia "took appropriate measures" to examine Khashoggi's death, which he called "painful" and a "huge mistake".
Diplomatic Pressure
US diplomatic efforts to free Almadi and allow him to return to the US has been increasing since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many appealed to Trump's claim that he is particularly effective in repatriating US citizens held overseas.
When asked by a reporter in May about the case, Trump said he wasn't aware about it but promised to take a look. A few weeks later, one of his national security aides, Gorka, met the son at the White House.
"President Trump is the master negotiator and he enjoys working with the Saudis and we will win your father back," Johnson said.
