North East Bylines published this week that Eddie Howe was set to be officially granted the Freedom of Newcastle during the week beginning 26 May.
It was noted that the citation, to be presented by council leader Karen Kilgour, adds: “Newcastle United is part of the fabric of our city with the fortunes of the club playing a huge part in the lives of supporters in Newcastle and across the world. Generations of supporters have never seen their beloved club lift a domestic trophy, and under his leadership we all now have treasured memories of a truly unforgettable day.
“The bus parade and celebratory event on the Town Moor on 29 March, 2025 gave Geordies an amazing opportunity to show their love for their club and respect for Eddie Howe.””
Eddie Howe is of course manager of Newcastle United. The majority owners of Newcastle United are the Saudi Public Investment Fund, who are chaired by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. In November last year, Human Rights Watch produced at 92-page report, The Man Who Bought the World, documenting human rights violations directly linked to the Saudi PIF.
Meanwhile back in Saudi Arabia
Meanwhile back in Saudi Arabia, many innocent people do not only not have the freedom of Newcastle, but no freedom at all. Instead, they are languishing in Saudi jail cells.
These include Ahmed al-Doush, a British subject facing ten years in prison, because of a long-deleted tweet, Salman Alodah being held in solitary confinement, and fitness instructor Manahel al-Otaibi, imprisoned for eleven years for wearing western clothes.
Ahmed al-Doush
It was reported on 13 May that a British dad-of-four had been jailed for ten years in Saudi Arabia over a deleted social media post. The post was said to be from a Twitter/X account with just 37 followers.
It was noted that, “Ahmed al-Doush, a senior business analyst with Bank of America, is understood to have been put in prison following his arrest by Saudi authorities on August 31, 2024, while on a family holiday to the country. He was stopped by security while preparing to fly home to the UK from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. He has now been jailed for 10 years after a state-appointed lawyer told his wife Amaher Nour, that he had been convicted of an offence at a hearing on Monday but that he could not tell her what it was”.
According to Amnesty International, his family believes these accusations may relate to a 2018 tweet he made concerning the situation in Sudan, with no mention of Saudi Arabia, which he then deleted. This belief was said to be based on the questions asked during his extensive interrogations. Amnesty also reported that the second accusation is related to his alleged association with a Saudi critic in exile. Ahmer has no relationship with this exile, beyond knowing his son.
Sheikh Salman Alodah
Amnesty International reported on 12 May, that the unfairly detained cleric Sheikh Salman Alodah had now been held in solitary confinement for seven years. This was said to be the entire duration of his detention. Amnesty International stated that this amounted to torture or other ill-treatment under international law. His health was said to be deteriorating and he was reported to have lost half of his hearing and eyesight.
Amnesty International also stated that, “Sheikh Salman Alodah was arrested without a warrant on 7 September 2017, a few hours after posting a tweet praying for the “unity of hearts” during a diplomatic stand-off between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In a secret trial before the Specialized Criminal Court in 2018, he was charged with 37 offences, including supporting Arab Spring protests and calling for the release of prisoners in Saudi Arabia on social media. The prosecution has sought the death penalty in his case. Sheikh Salman Alodah is unjustly detained and Saudi authorities must immediately and unconditionally release him”.
Manahel al-Otaibi
It was reported on 1 May 2024, that Saudi Arabia had jailed a female fitness instructor over what Amnesty International said was her “choice of clothing and expression of her views online”.
It was further reported that the Saudi regime had confirmed the 11-year sentence handed down to Manahel al-Otaibi for what it said were unspecified “terrorism offences”. By way of response, Amnesty and ALQST, a London-based group advocating for human rights in Saudi Arabia, said: “Her charges related solely to her choice of clothing and expression of her views online, including calling on social media for an end to Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system, publishing videos of herself wearing ‘indecent clothes’ and ‘going to the shops without wearing an abaya”.
On 15 May, it was reported that Manahel al-Otaibi now had a hearing scheduled to take place before Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) on 26 May 2025. It was further noted that Manahel al-Otaibi had been imprisoned since 16 November 2022. The SCC sentenced Manahel al-Otaibi to 11 years in prison on 9 January 2024 for “terrorist offences” in a secret trial.
It was also said that Manahel had initially been charged with violating the Anti-Cyber Crime Law and had then faced additional charges under the counter-terror law due to her tweets in support of women’s rights as well as posting photos of herself at the mall without an abaya (a traditional loose-fitting long-sleeved robe) on Snapchat. It was also said that “Saudi authorities have subjected her to torture and other ill-treatment, as well as enforced disappearance.”
Comment
It is easy to see why Karen Kilgour and Newcastle City Council might feel it is appropriate to award Eddie Howe the Freedom of Newcastle. But would it not also be appropriate for them to lobby the Saudi regime, which Newcastle is so closely associated with, for the freedom of Ahmed al-Doush, Sheikh Salman Alodah, Manahel al-Otaibi and all the other innocent people currently languishing in Saudi jail cells?
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