A man is taken from his home in the dead of the night. He is held in solitary confinement and subjected to days and nights of interrogation. After 137 days, just as suddenly as he was brought in, he is released, with no word of explanation from his captors.
Add in acres of international media coverage and a vocal, well organized online campaign from local supporters, and you have the making of a great story - Midnight Express meets Erin Brockovich by way of In The Name of the Father. But that won’t happen.
For now, Fouad Al-Fahan, the Saudi blogger snatched by police in later December, and now released without charge on Saturday morning, will be relishing being home with his wife and two young children. You can bet there is a queue of media operators wanting to hear his story; Fouad’s supporters will be hoping he can tell the story himself when the time is right.
But there is a sense the story is not finished. Will Fouad be able to tell the whole truth? Have the authorities come to some kind of deal, where Fouad tones down his blog in exchange for his freedom? Is there a bolder Saudi blogger ready to take the freedom of expression campaign forward?
They might start with getting to the bottom of Fouad’s case.
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