For months, the Saudi regime has been stiffing the administration on a promise to end its groundless prosecution of Walid Fitaihi, a physician who frequently provided care to U.S. diplomatic personnel stationed at the Jiddah Consulate. Dr. Fitaihi was arrested and tortured in November 2017, during one of the sweeping domestic crackdowns launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He was held for 21 months without charge, and when his sham trial finally began he and seven members of his family — all U.S. citizens — were banned from leaving the country.
U.S. officials were promised that Dr. Fitaihi would finally be cleared at a hearing on Dec. 9, according to Mohamed Soltan, who leads the Washington-based Freedom Initiative. Instead, the proceedings were delayed for two months — and then delayed again on Feb. 2. Such gross disrespect for an American interest might seem remarkable, considering that President Trump has recently deployed thousands more troops and U.S. assets to the Persian Gulf to defend Saudi Arabia against Iranian attacks. But then, Mohammed bin Salman no doubt has concluded that he can persecute journalists, dissidents and even American citizens without consequences to his relationship with Washington — because there have been none to speak of.
