Saudi Woman Pressures Govt. Into Releasing Detained Brother Through Twitter

One Saudi user is using Twitter to talk about her detained brother in Saudi Arabia sparking a conversation over the Saudi authorities crackdown on freedoms and human rights activists in the Kingdom.

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Named “Esal”, the Saudi woman who has recently sought asylum in Canada, has used her Twitter account to talk about her brother, Abdullah Khudedi, who was detained a year ago in Saudi Arabia after he criticized authorities through a fake account on Twitter.

Posting videos in both languages Arabic and English, Esal has identified her detained brother describing his horrific detention and all that led to his arrest.

According to Esal, her brother, Abdullah, is of special needs, had heart disease and is unable to hurt anybody while authorities accuse him of being a "terrorist".

Citing what happened with the Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, who was brutally murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and what is currently happening with Loujain Hathloul, the women rights activist who has been imprisoned and tortured until now in the Saudi prisons, Esal expressed her concerns over her brother’s prison conditions that might cause him harm due to his health conditions.

Esal confirmed she decided to go on social media and make this video to put more pressure on the Saudi government to release her brother.

The videos and the story of Esal’s brother have made the rounds on the internet and circulated the Saudi social media.

However, opinions were split.

Many have expressed solidarity and support with Esal and her family in the face of the brutal authorities who crackdown on dissents.

Translation: “The new generation is no longer afraid of speaking against the government in public.”

While others have taken the side of the Saudi government accusing Esal of lying suggesting her brother was a spy or was “affiliated” with foreign that led him to prison.

Translation: “The government must arrest anyone who disrupts the regime and cooperates with the enemies. Many have been arrested for betraying their country, but their sisters did not run away to Canada like you, because they [their families] knew they did something wrong.”