The family of businessman Rami Naimi has spoken publicly for the first time about what they allege was his abduction in Dubai, torture in Saudi Arabia and subsequent imprisonment, as they called on the UK, US and European governments to help secure his release.
Mr Naimi, a father of three and son of former Saudi oil minister and Aramco chief Ali Al-Naimi, was detained in 2017 after returning from Australia with his father. His family say he was blindfolded, driven to Abu Dhabi and flown by private jet to Saudi Arabia.
He was held at Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton hotel during a sweeping crackdown on prominent Saudi princes, ministers and businessmen. His wife, Mira Lozi, alleges that he was subjected to electrocution, waterboarding and psychological abuse during three months in detention.
Mr Naimi was released in January 2018, the family says, after signing an agreement requiring him to surrender up to 5 billion Saudi riyals, later reduced to 1 billion riyals — around £200 million. He was placed under house arrest, electronically monitored and barred from leaving the country.
Mrs Lozi, who was living in Dubai when her husband was first detained, said she spent years afraid that she or her children could also be taken.
“I lived my life terrified, looking over my shoulder,” she said. “What’s going to happen next? Who’s behind me? Am I going to be taken? And for what? Absolutely nothing.”
The family said they were initially too frightened even to visit Mr Naimi after his release. His son Ali, who was 12 at the time, said the restrictions made it feel as though his father was still missing.
“It was like my dad was still abducted,” said Ali, now 21.
He described growing up without his father and being denied the advice and support that his friends received from their own families.
“I’ve been traumatised for my whole childhood,” he said. “I basically lived a life without my father. I know more of my life without my father than I do with.”
Second detention and secret trial
The ordeal was renewed in 2022, when Mr Naimi disappeared again after, his wife says, receiving a call claiming that officials needed to repair his electronic ankle tag.
For almost two years, his family did not know whether he was alive. They later learned that he was being held at Al Ha’ir prison, a high-security facility near Riyadh, where they allege he suffered further physical and psychological abuse.
Mr Naimi was released in March 2025 but remained under house arrest and subject to a travel ban. The family says he was then informed of allegations that he had exploited his father’s official influence and acted as an agent for a US company seeking to secure technology work with Saudi Aramco.
After spending seven years without being charged, he was sentenced to six years in prison following a secret trial, according to his family. He now faces a separate case relating to his internet activity, including allegations that he followed social media accounts critical of the Saudi government and tried to leave the country without permission.
Mr Naimi and his family deny the allegations. If convicted in the second case, he could face up to 20 years in prison, they say.
Mrs Lozi and her children launched a campaign in London on Tuesday to bring him home. They said the decision to speak out followed years of quiet diplomacy which had failed to secure his release.
Mrs Lozi, who is undergoing cancer treatment, said she had been urged to remain silent since 2017 in the hope that it would help free her husband.
“For nine years my children and I have lived through a nightmare,” she said. “Saying the truth today is like a liberation.”
She said her illness had also made her feel that she could no longer wait.
“I don’t know how much I have left,” she said. “I guess that was the cherry on top for my kids to get their father back.”
The family is seeking intervention from the UK Government, the US and the European Union, asking officials to raise the case with Saudi Arabia at the highest level.
Ali said: “We want to see political pressure, and we want them to raise the question with Saudi at the highest level and to help secure our father’s release.”
Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, the human rights lawyer leading the case, said families dealing with overseas detention needed stronger support from the British Government. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office declined to comment, while the Saudi embassy in London has been approached for a response.
Mr Naimi is not aware that his family has gone public, according to Mrs Lozi, who said she remained too frightened to return to Saudi Arabia or travel to the United Arab Emirates.
“Until today we have no idea why Rami was targeted,” she said. “We just want to end this nightmare.”
