~ UN calls for ‘immediate release’ and says ‘no trial should have taken place’ ~
During its 104th session, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued its decision (Opinion 77/2025) on the ongoing detention of British national, Mr Ahmed Al-Doush – who has been detained in Saudi Arabia since August 2024 while travelling with his young family, including his pregnant wife, for alleged social media posts.
The decision follows a complaint by Mr Al-Doush’s legal team to the UN Working Group in December 2024 and subsequent proceedings throughout 2025. Mr Al-Doush is represented by Haydee Dijkstal of 33 Bedford Row Chambers, leading Simon Ridding, also of 33 Bedford Row.
The decision from the UN Working Group found multiple violations of Mr Al-Doush rights under international, including violations of the right against arbitrary arrest and detention, the right to fair trial and public hearing, the right to an independent and impartial tribunal, the right to legal assistance by domestic counsel in Saudi Arabia, and the right to freedom of thought, opinion, expression and association – all protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The UN Working Group concluded that Mr Al-Doush’s ongoing detention in Saudi Arabia is ‘arbitrary’ under international law, which indicates the wrongfulness of his detention under internationally protected norms and standards for which Saudi Arabia is obliged to follow. Its conclusion was made on three bases:
- Detention without legal basis: The UN Working Group looked at the culmination of violations to several fundamental rights as evidence that his detention lacks a legal basis, including the violation of his right to be sufficiently informed of the reasons for arrest and charges justifying continued detention; the violation of his right to be promptly brought before a court, and the violation of his right against incommunicado detention and enforced disappearance.
- Detention based on the exercise of a protected right: The UN Working Group also based its conclusion that his “detention arose due to his social media posts and his perceived association with a known critic” which the Working Group recalled “would rarely, if ever, be sufficient to justify incarceration”. The Working Group found that because his detention was based on exercising his rights, “no trial should have taken place.”
- Serious violations of the right to a fair trial: The UN Working Group finally found an ‘arbitrary’ character to his detention due to “multiple violations of his fair trial rights” which it found, together “indicate the gravity of his mistreatment”. The severity of the violations to his fair trial and due process rights, were demonstrated by the Working Group’s finding of violations to his right to a lawyer, right to prompt consular access, and lack of access to an independent and impartial tribunal; after he was tried before the Saudi Specialised Criminal Court which has been widely reported as conducting unfair trials, and which the Working Group itself had found to “does not provide independent justice.”
Mr Al-Doush continues to be represented by Haydee Dijkstal, leading Simon Ridding, and now also Robert Oldham of 12KBW, to raise his rights under international law before the UK Government and other international bodies.
The full decision of the UN Working Group can be found here: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/detention-wg/opinions/sessions104/a-hrc-wgad-2025-77-saudi-arabia-advance-edited.pdf
Following the decision, Amnesty International called for his release: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde23/0950/2026/en/
Mr Al-Doush’s case has been widely covered by the media. This includes the following recent coverage and examples of prior reporting:
The Guardian, “Wife of Briton pleads for Saudi Arabia to release him from ‘arbitrary detention’, 14 May 2026 (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/14/ahmed-al-doush-wife-pleads-saudi-arabia-for-his-release-social-media-posts)
Sky News, “Prince William asked to raise case of detained Manchester man during visit to Saudi Arabia”, 10 February 2026 (https://news.sky.com/story/prince-william-asked-to-raise-case-of-detained-manchester-man-during-visit-to-saudi-arabia-13505616)
The Independent, “Prince William to meet controversial Saudi Arabian Crown Prince on crucial visit”, 10 February 2026 (https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/prince-william-saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-salman-b2917325.html)
The Guardian, “Families of UK prisoners detained abroad urge ministers to keep promises of help”, 16 July 2025 (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jul/16/families-of-uk-prisoners-abroad-urge-ministers-to-keep-promises-to-help)
Independent, “Briton jailed ‘over tweet’ in Saudi Arabia is being failed by UK, say family”, 13 May 2025 (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/saudi-arabia-reprieve-amnesty-international-uk-government-manchester-b2750192.html)
Telegraph, “British man ‘jailed in Saudi Arabia over seven-year-old tweet’”, 13 May 2025 (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/13/british-man-jailed-saudi-arabia-seven-year-old-tweet/?ICID=continue_without_subscribing_reg_first)
Daily Mail Online, “British father-of-four is facing extended sentence in Saudi Arabian jail over a now-deleted Tweet after being arrested at airport – and is yet to meet his youngest child”, 12 May 2025 (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14700785/British-citizen-Saudi-Arabia-jail-deleted-Tweet-arrested-airport.html)
The Sunday Times, 30 March 2025 “My husband’s been in a Saudi Arabian jail for 7 months. We don’t know why” (https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/husband-saudi-arabia-jail-hnk8hj7h7)
Financial Times, “Detained British bank analyst awaiting verdict in Saudi Arabia”, 22 March 2025 (https://www.ft.com/content/6beb0f86-6100-4361-b629-2894c2a74820)