Studying in the United States, Saudi citizens targeted for the criticism of their government

In 2017, Alaoudh applied in Washington to renew his Saudi passport. He was suggested to go back to Saudi Arabia in order to do that.

When asked did he think the government was luring you back home?

Alaoudh said: “Yes, I strongly think that. And, you know, the case of Khashoggi is just another example.

Before Abdullah Alaoudh became a Georgetown fellow, back in 2014, he was on a Saudi scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh. He says it also got canceled because he criticized the government.

They said it's a red line to criticize the crown prince, the Saudi crown prince. Well, killing a journalist in the Saudi consulate is not a red line? I mean, they have their own version of truth, probably.

Alaoudh was asked how has the Saudi government targeted him while he was in the United States?

He replied: “I get threats every day from Twitter accounts that a lot of people think is somehow associated to the Saudi government.”

For example, I got a threat from a Twitter account, saying that we're going to lock you up, and we're going to find you, and we're going to bring you back and put you in a cell next to your father.

Alaoudh's father, Salman, is an outspoken activist and scholar who's released his own videos and called for a change in the Saudi government.

He was arrested and now faces the death penalty. Alaoudh said his father's interrogators mention him during interrogation.

Talking to somebody about his son and saying that, we are going to arrest him, we're going to torture him, we're going to do this and that to him, it's a way of intimidation and pressure.

When asked apart from his father, has the Saudi government been trying to pressure even him?

Alaoudh’s response was: “Yes, because they try to send the message that whatever you do is going to be reflected on my father and how they deal with my father.”

Alaoudh says how the Saudis deal with him here is surveillance.

He says, in 2016, before a public event, he was approached by another Saudi citizen who said he was there to spy and report back.

The Saudi government has no limits. So, if you're dealing with somebody like this, it's just scary.