Doctor With U.S. Citizenship Tortured in Saudi Detention: NYT
Friends say Dr. Walid Fitaihi was blindfolded, stripped, whipped and shocked.
Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images
Friends of a Harvard-trained doctor with dual U.S.-Saudi citizenship are trying to draw attention to allegations he was tortured while detained by the government in Riyadh. Dr. Walid Fitaihi was blindfolded, stripped, whipped and shocked with electricity by guards at the Ritz Carlton, friends told the New York Times. Others who were detained in 2017 for what the kingdom billed as a corruption crackdown have also described being tortured, with 17 of them ending up in the hospital, the newspaper reported. Fitaihi remains imprisoned without any public charges—which could further strain U.S.-Saudi relations, given his dual citizenship. After the Times report, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) was among those calling for his release.
I’m deeply troubled by reports of Saudi Arabia torturing an American citizen. He and other political prisoners must be released. This is despicable in aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) March 3, 2019
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