The Facts
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia released US-Saudi dual national Saad Ibrahim Almadi from prison, more than a year after he was arrested for tweets critical of the kingdom, according to his son. The 72-year-old was sentenced to 16 years in prison before an appeals court upped his sentence to 19 years last month.
Almadi’s son said his father remains banned from traveling and is staying at his home in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. He added, “All charges have been dropped but we have to fight the travel ban now.”
The Spin
Narrative A
Saudi Arabia’s imprisonment of Almadi was part of a pattern of human rights abuses by the government. Dozens of people have been prosecuted for their opinions in Saudi Arabia, and there must be global action to combat this systemic oppression. Riyadh's criminalization of dissent must end now.
Narrative B
Almadi’s release is a step in the right direction for human rights in Saudi Arabia. Almadi should never have been imprisoned, but it’s encouraging to see Saudi Arabia loosen up a little bit in the name of justice. With continued work, hopefully, Riyadh's record on human rights will improve along with better relations between the US and Saudi Arabia.