Nine Years After His Detention, Rami Al-Naimi’s Family Calls for an End to His Ordeal in Saudi Arabia
The family of businessman Rami Al-Naimi has revealed details to The Guardian of his nine-year ordeal in detention in Saudi Arabia, which began with his alleged abduction from Dubai in 2017, coinciding with the detention of princes, businessmen, and ministers at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, and later resulted in a six-year prison sentence and a ban on leaving the Kingdom.
Al-Naimi is a British citizen and father of three. He is the son of Ali Al-Naimi, a former Saudi oil minister and former head of Saudi Aramco.
In 2017, Rami Al-Naimi was allegedly abducted in Dubai after returning from Australia with his father. His family says he was blindfolded and forcibly taken by car to Abu Dhabi, then flown by private jet to Saudi Arabia, where he found himself at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh alongside around 400 of the Kingdom’s most powerful figures detained during a crackdown that began in November 2017.
The crackdown targeted princes, businessmen, and ministers and was accompanied by the stripping of some detainees of their wealth and assets.
According to his family, Al-Naimi was held at the hotel for three months and subjected to torture, including electric shocks, waterboarding, and psychological abuse. He was also falsely told that his father was being tortured in an adjacent room. He was released in January 2018 after signing a “settlement agreement.”
Following his release, Al-Naimi was forced to sign a document pledging to surrender 5 billion Saudi riyals, later “discounted” to 1 billion riyals (approximately £200 million), according to his family.
The family says that neither Rami nor his relatives possess this amount, and that he was subsequently placed under electronic surveillance and banned from leaving Saudi Arabia.
In 2022, Al-Naimi was detained again and disappeared from his family for nearly two years. They did not know whether he was alive or where he was being held, until they learned, with the help of his legal team and diplomats, that he was detained at Al-Ha’ir Prison in Saudi Arabia.
During his second period of detention, his family says Al-Naimi was subjected to further torture and emotional and psychological abuse.
He was released in March 2025 with an electronic tag and remained subject to a travel ban.
After his release, Al-Naimi learned of charges alleging that he had “exploited” his father’s official influence, acted as an agent for a US company in Saudi Arabia, and helped Aramco secure a contract to provide technology to prevent diesel smuggling.
After seven years without charges, he was sentenced to six years in prison following a secret trial.
Al-Naimi also faces a second trial over his activity on X, including allegations that he followed accounts critical of Saudi Arabia and attempted to leave the Kingdom without permission. He denies these allegations.
Al-Naimi remains in Saudi Arabia and is prohibited from leaving the country, while his communications with his family remain monitored.
His wife, Mira Lozi, told *The Guardian* that the family had remained silent since 2017 in the hope of securing his release through diplomatic channels, but had now decided to speak publicly and call for his return.
The family is seeking to meet with the British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary to discuss Al-Naimi’s case. Human rights lawyer Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, who is leading the case, said the British government should support families whose relatives face detention abroad.
The UK Foreign Office declined to comment on the case, while *The Guardian* said it had approached the Saudi embassy in London for comment.
SANAD Human Rights Organization calls on the British government to take urgent action and pressure Saudi authorities to end Rami Al-Naimi’s detention, work to recover the funds and property taken from him during his detention, lift the travel ban imposed on him, guarantee his right to a fair trial, and enable him to return to his family.
