A US citizen jailed in Saudi Arabia will be fined for “mild” Twitter posts on issues including the war in Yemen and the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, his son told AFP on Wednesday.

Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a 72-year-old of Saudi origin, was sentenced this month to 16 years in prison, the latest in a series of sentences that human rights groups have described as draconian punishments for criticizing the government on social media.

The case risks further escalating tensions between Riyadh and Washington, long-time partners who are currently at odds over OPEC+ cartel-approved oil production cuts that the White House says the Ukraine war will lead to “cooperation with Russia.” “ run out.

Almadi was arrested in November last year upon arrival in Saudi Arabia for a two-week trip, said his son Ibrahim, who went public with the case this week and criticized US officials for not doing more to get his release to reach .

The foreign ministry said on Tuesday it had “consistently and vigorously expressed our concerns about the case at higher levels of the Saudi government” and that “exercising freedom of expression should never be criminalized.”

On Wednesday, Ibrahim shared with AFP a list of Twitter posts he said had been used in evidence against his father – information he said had been confirmed by the State Department.

These include tax posts as well as controversial demolition work in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, and the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

One post asks why Saudi Arabia is failing to prevent attacks by Houthi rebels in war-torn Yemen, where the kingdom is leading a military coalition in support of the internationally recognized government.

Another refers to the “victim” of Khashoggi, whose assassination by Saudi agents at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate sparked global outrage.

Saudi officials also found an unflattering caricature of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, on Almadi’s phone, Ibrahim said.

Almadi has been partially accused of supporting and financing terrorism and trying to destabilize the kingdom, Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim accused the State Department of “mishandling” his father’s case, including by not sending a representative to the Oct. 3 sentencing — something the State Department acknowledged on Tuesday and said Saudi Arabia originally had a later date for stated the hearing before it was postponed.

“My father should be their number one concern from day one,” Ibrahim said, referring to US officials.

“The troubles and tensions between Saudi and US should not start over oil. They should start because senior American citizens are being arrested for tweeting.”

Ibrahim also expressed concern for his father’s health.

“You keep him from sleeping. You let him get up. He is 72 years old and his health is deteriorating,” Ibrahim said by phone from the United States, where he lives.

“He had back problems. He needs an operation on his back as soon as possible. I already have an appointment for him here.”

Almadi received a 16-year travel ban on top of his prison sentence.

Saudi officials have not commented on Almadi’s case or other recent sentences against people who have criticized the government on social media.

Nourah al-Qahtani, a mother of five in her late 40s, was recently sentenced to 45 years in prison for using Twitter to “challenge” the country’s leaders.

Salma al-Shehab, a doctoral student at Britain’s Leeds University, has been sentenced to 34 years in prison for allegedly helping dissidents who wanted to “disrupt public order” by retweeting their posts.

Democracy for the Arab World Now, a US-based rights group founded by Khashoggi, said last week the rulings may reflect recent appointments by the Specialized Criminal Court, which handles such cases.

“The crown prince appoints loyalist security officials, who lack even basic training, as judges at his counter-terrorism kangaroo court and punishes the mildest societal dissent with shocking penalties,” said Abdullah Alaoudh, DAWN’s Gulf Director.

Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the government, said on Twitter Tuesday that the Saudi authorities are “managing a difficult transition that could easily descend into civil war.”

“The government is prioritizing stability as it is forcing change on a very polarized society,” he said.

“This is a very imperfect process + prosecution/judiciary overstepping occurs.”