Saudi Arabia: International pressure mounts to release jailed prince

With a $2 million US lobbying effort and petitions from European lawmakers, global authorities are now pressurizing Saudi Arabia to release a crown prince who had been arrested without a charge. The arrest of Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz and his father, since January 2018, is a part of a full crackdown by the current crown prince of the Saudi Kingdom, Mohammed bin Salman. The dangerous power play has also swept up family members of Saad Aljabri, a former aide to another detained prince and top intelligence official, who fled to Canada and holds key state secrets.

The most unlikely target of the wave is Prince Salman, a 37-year-old educated in Paris, who had no political ambitions.  The prince had reportedly earned a reputation of a 'walking blank cheque' as he funded development projects in poor nations. However, the prince was mysteriously returned to his villas last week and reunited with his father Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman suggesting that the international pressure might be yielding results.

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In February this year, a delegation from the European parliament had implored Saudi authorities to release detained royals including Prince Salman during a visit to Riyadh. More recently, in May, leading Washington lobbyist Robert Stryk's Sonoran Policy Group signed a $2 million contract with governments of the UK, US, France and EU to advocate the release of the Saudi royals.

Multiple arrests

In now what is being dubbed as 'Saudi Game of Thrones', the current crown prince detained a wave of royal in order to eliminate the threat to his power. In March, authorities arrested the Saudi king's brother Prince Ahmed and nephew Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was edged out as heir to the throne by Mohammed Bin Salman in 2017. Also, two adult children and a brother of Saad Aljabri, once a senior aide to Prince Nayef, were also detained in March. 

According to a news agency, Aljabri, who is now exiled in Canada, earlier attempted to get his children to leave Saudi Arabia but authorities banned their travel.  Princess Basmah bint Saud, another royal perceived to be close to Prince Nayef, has been jailed in Al-Ha'ir for a year without charge along with her daughter.

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Image credits: Tiwtter/ mus__twt