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Washington D.C.—Representatives Michael McCaul (R-TX), Lead Republican of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Chairman of the Committee, today wrote to Secretary Pompeo urging him to raise the case of Dr. Walid Fitaihi and his family with government officials during his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia. Dr. Fitaihi, a dual Saudi-American citizen, was detained by the Saudi government in November of 2017 and is awaiting the resolution of his court case. Seven members of his family have also been barred from leaving Saudi Arabia while he stands trial. 

The lawmakers wrote: “We ask you to urge a positive resolution of the ongoing court case against Dr. Fitaihi and a lifting of the travel ban imposed on him and seven members of his family, all of whom are U.S. citizens…We urge you to build on these successes and press the Saudi government to resolve the case against Dr. Fitaihi and allow him and his family to come home to the United States.” 

Full text of the letter can be found here or below: 

Dear Mr. Secretary, 

In advance of your trip to Saudi Arabia later this month, we urge you to raise the case of Dr. Walid Fitaihi and his family with the highest levels of the Saudi government during your trip. Specifically, we ask you to urge a positive resolution of the ongoing court case against Dr. Fitaihi and a lifting of the travel ban imposed on him and seven members of his family, all of whom are U.S. citizens.

Dr. Fitaihi was first detained in November 2017 and was held without charge for almost two years, during which time he was reportedly tortured. He was released pending trial during the summer of 2019, however the court case against him continues to drag on. The Saudi government has imposed a travel ban on Dr. Fitaihi and his family, preventing them from returning to the United States.

It has been a consistent priority of the United States—throughout Democratic and Republican administrations—to free Americans abroad from unjust detention. We urge you to build on these successes and press the Saudi government to resolve the case against Dr. Fitaihi and allow him and his family to come home to the United States.

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