Pilgrims and tourists detained in Saudi Arabia over online posts

Pilgrims and tourists detained in Saudi Arabia over online posts Submitted by Rayhan Uddin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 15:30 Report documents cases of arrests and lengthy sentences due to social media expression, as wife of French detainee tells MEE her husbands faces 'repeated abuses' Ahmed al-Doush, who was working for Bank of America at the time, was arrested in August 2024 at Riyadh airport over his social media usage (Supplied) Off People visiting Saudi Arabia for religious pilgrimages and tourism are being detained, subjected to unfair trials and sentenced to lengthy jail time over social media expression, according to a new report. Amnesty International and Alqst published a report this week looking into the cases of at least nine people, mostly from Middle East and Global South countries of origin, detained over online posts. The arrests took place between July 2022 and late last year.