"Two years later, the charges were reduced to so-called cyber crimes and he was sentenced to a 30-year ban on leaving Saudi Arabia. The announcement that Almadi, a dual citizen and retired engineer who had lived in the US since the 1970s, would be free to leave the country came after the US president delivered a speech touting US-Saudi ties, including arms sales and investment deals, during a second day of public events in Washington."
"Our family is overjoyed that, after four long years, our father, Saad Almadi, is finally on his way home to the United States! the Almadi family said in a statement. This day would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the tireless efforts of his administration. We are deeply grateful to Dr Sebastian Gorka and the team at the national security council, as well as everyone at the state department, it added."
Saad Almadi, a 75-year-old dual US-Saudi citizen and retired engineer who lived in the US since the 1970s, was allowed to leave Saudi Arabia five months earlier than scheduled. Almadi was originally sentenced in 2021 to 19 years after posting 14 tweets critical of the Riyadh government; the charges were later reduced to so-called cyber crimes and a 30-year exit ban. The release came shortly after a high-profile meeting between Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and US president Donald Trump and followed public statements from Almadi's family thanking US officials, advocates, and nonprofits.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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