Ahmed al-Doush’s mental well-being has deteriorated significantly in prison in Saudi Arabia, where he is arbitrarily detained and serving five years in prison after an unfair trial for charges based on social media use which violate his right to free expression. 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.
