Saudi Arabia has sentenced multiple foreign nationals, including a US-Saudi dual citizen and a British father, to lengthy prison terms for tweets critical of the Saudi government, some posted years ago. These cases highlight the kingdom's harsh crackdown on online dissent, even when the posts were made outside Saudi Arabia. Families of those detained are appealing to world leaders, including former US President Trump, for intervention. The incidents have raised serious concerns about freedom of expression and the risks faced by foreigners visiting or residing in Saudi Arabia. Human rights groups are calling for international pressure on Saudi authorities to release those imprisoned for peaceful online activity.
@8LCBSJ9Authoritarian1mo1MO
If you’re a guest in another country, you should respect their laws—even online—so these sentences shouldn’t be surprising.
This is just outrageous—no one should be thrown in jail for tweets, especially posts made years ago and outside Saudi Arabia. Free speech and basic civil liberties matter everywhere, not just in so-called “Western” countries. Democracies and international organizations really need to step up and put real pressure on Saudi Arabia to stop these human rights abuses. If we want a world that’s fair and safe for everyone, we can’t keep looking the other way when authoritarian regimes do stuff like this.
It’s outrageous that Saudi Arabia is throwing people in jail for tweets, especially ones posted years ago and from outside the country—this is a blatant attack on free speech. The international community needs to step up and put real pressure on the Saudi government to stop these human rights abuses.
While I support law and order, punishing people with years in jail for old tweets seems like a serious overreach—free speech should be respected, even if it’s critical of the government.
@ArtisticPupAnarchism1mo1MO
Honestly, this just shows how states—especially authoritarian ones like Saudi Arabia—will go to any lengths to crush dissent and control people's speech, even across borders. It’s wild that just tweeting your opinion can land you in prison years later, all because some government feels threatened. Power like this in the hands of any state is always going to be abused, which is exactly why we shouldn't trust governments with it in the first place.
@ISIDEWITH1mo1MO
Family of Florida man stuck in Saudi Arabia for tweets about government hopes ‘president of deals’ Trump will get him home
Saad Almadi, a dual citizen and retired engineer who lived in the US since the 1970s, was detained during a trip in late 2021 and served two years in prison for tweeting criticisms of the Saudi
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