The son of an American citizen imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for criticizing the Saudi government said Tuesday evening that his father is “nowhere near being a dissident.”
“My father is a senior American citizen who just wants to live freely and happy in the United States where he got his education,” Saad Ibrahim Almadi’s son, Ibrahim Almadi, told CNN’s Erin Burnett on “OutFront.”
The US State Department confirmed earlier Tuesday that 72-year-old Saad Ibrahim Almadi has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia after being given a 16-year sentence for tweets critical of the Saudi government.
Almadi’s imprisonment was first reported by The Washington Post. #ErinBurnett #erinburnettoutfront #cnn
American citizen in Saudi prison for tweets criticizing Saudi government
If you’re going to say something bad about some of these regimes you can’t go back you can’t do it. No
The Man who knew too much. Studies are at a loss for compassion.
You criticize the Saudi government and then travel to Saudi Arabia after the critical tweet? How naive does one have to be?
Why would this man go to Saudi Arabia after tweets like this.???? He knew what they’re like.
Well it’s about time they started cracking down on MEAN TWEETS
sucks for him.
America will literally let Saudi’s fly airplanes into buildings and not even do anything about it.
So idk what you expect anyone to do about this?
Haven’t we seen this story play out already with alleged help from the Trump’s. Maybe these are some of the missing files Trump wants so badly back.
104 years old is not that bad, he should just let time pass and return to the US after 28 years. No biggie.
He does have dual citizenship. So he is equally a Saudi citizen as he is American.
He is 80% Saudi while in Saudi Arabia and 80% American while in US.
Crazy to think someone can go to jail for something like that regardless of citizenship.
@solothebest1 do you believe they’ve arrested him for a tweet? its funny how they play you.
The US should be doing everything it can to get this man released. This could happen to anyone. And we need to set a precedent that it is unacceptable to charge a US citizen for exercising their right of free speech.
People only have a limited right to free speech in the USA. This right does not exist in other countries. If you are in another country keep your mouth shut about the politics of their country and you will be much, much better off.
If this isn’t enough of a sign: GET OFF SOCIAL MEDIA.
this is a clear provocation.
Everyone in Saudi knows its a no-no to criticize the govt (as is the case in many countries like iran, russia, china, etc.).
Yet, somehow, an American-Saudi national decides to fly to Saudi Arabia, publish criticism of the gov’t, and get himself jailed FOUR DAYS after Saudi cuts oil production, angering the United States for not having it their way every time.
If anyone is a critical thinker, you will be able to put two and two together.
Jared has no problem going and bringing back goodies. Hope our incarcerated fellow citizen did not say anything bad about heavy black plastic bags or portable bone saws.
Now that right there is some hardcore censorship imagine going to jail for a tweet😲
That some were posted 7 years ago just crazy.
Trump would get 840 years in jail.
On the Moon.
@server1ok no bs 😂😂😂
Why would anyone with common sense go back to Saudi knowing how they are about criticism? At some point people have to be accountable for their own actions. He criticized them while in the US then he went to visit Saudi? Who is that crazy? smh and people are believing they should go to a country that they criticize knowing what they do to people that criticize them.
This is so crazy. The US Government should do something in order to help this guy.
4:29, look at the change in the young mans shoulders as he sighs in relief that someone is also fighting for his father, he doesn’t feel so alone in that moment.
*SAUDI GOVERNMENT ARE VERY SMART, 16 YEARS FROM NOW THERE WILL BE NO TWITTER* 😂
Honestly if they eliminate their own citizens for speaking that way, what makes you think they were going to tolerate some foreigner to come in and do the same? The only reason the man wasn’t stoned was because he IS a U.S. citizen. So now we can talk about freedoms and such, but we also have the issues of territorial sovereignty. An American citizen broke the law and bad-mouthed the current Saudi government while standing on their soil. Maybe next time don’t do business with the Saudi’s.
There’s a lion in the streets. Why go into the streets? We have to avoid trouble when possible. People are evil 😡. May God help him. So sad.