The State Department said on Tuesday that the United States was concerned about reports of a counterterrorism tribunal ruling on a Saudi aid worker, announcing its decision to “follow up closely.”
This was part of the US approach to President Biden’s human rights record during the monarchy, while the Saudis attributed the Biden administration’s stance to purely political reasons, saying it was aimed at putting pressure on their country is set up to pursue unrelated interests.
State Department spokeswoman Ned Price said in a statement that aid worker Abdul Rahman al-Sadhan was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by a travel ban for another 20 years.
“We will follow this case closely in any review process,” he added. As we told the Saudi officials at all levels, freedom of expression should not be a punishable crime.
Al-Sadhan was arrested on March 12, 2018, while working at the offices of the Red Crescent Society in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
His sister Arij, a U.S. citizen who is seeking his release, said he was arrested without a warrant for his arrest or charges.
The Biden government has called on Riyadh to release prisoners described as political, while Saudi officials deny the existence of any political prisoners in the kingdom.