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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington

Twitter and Saudi officials face racketeering lawsuit over jailed satirist

In this photo provided by family, Abdulrahman al-Sadhan poses with his sister, Areej, in 2013.
In this photo provided by family, Abdulrahman al-Sadhan poses with his sister, Areej, in 2013. Photograph: AP

A US activist has filed a racketeering lawsuit against Twitter and senior Saudi officials on behalf of her brother, a Saudi aid worker who was forcibly disappeared – and then later sentenced to 20 years in jail – for using a satirical and anonymous Twitter account to mock the Riyadh government.

The lawsuit by Areej al-Sadhan alleges that Twitter has become a “participant tool” in a campaign of transnational repression by Saudi authorities as part of the company’s effort to monetise its relationship with the kingdom. Saudi Arabia is Twitter’s second-largest investor, after Elon Musk.

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