Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi national Hamdan Al-Turki has departed the United States and arrived in the Kingdom, nearly three months after his release from an American prison where he spent 19 years.

Al-Turki was convicted in 2006 in Colorado on charges of unlawful imprisonment and abuse of his Indonesian housekeeper.

The case drew significant international attention, with supporters citing claims of post-9/11 anti-Muslim bias in the U.S. legal system. He consistently denied all charges.

On May 9, 2025, a Colorado court closed the case and cleared Al-Turki of his previous sentence during a session attended by his family and legal representatives from the Saudi Embassy in Washington.

Following the decision, Al-Turki was transferred to an immigration detention facility pending repatriation procedures. His family had initially chosen to delay publicizing his return at the advice of attorneys, although U.S. media reports soon disclosed the news.

Confirming his father’s departure, Al-Turki’s son, Turki, posted on X: “Alhamdulillah for the completion of this blessing. Our father Hamdan Al-Turki is headed to the homeland. We thank God first, and then express our deepest gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

He also praised the role of the Saudi Embassy, which he said played a key part in securing his father’s return.

Al-Turki is a professor of linguistics at the time of his arrest, he was sentenced to 28 years in a maximum-security facility.

His release this year at age 56 ends a nearly two-decade legal battle that sparked ongoing debate over legal fairness and civil rights.