Rami Naimi’s family launches public campaign after nine years of failed quiet diplomacy

A family goes public

The family of businessman Rami Naimi has launched a public campaign seeking British government intervention after keeping his case out of the spotlight for nine years. His wife, Mira Lozi, and their son appeared at a London campaign event on September 8 and said private diplomatic efforts had failed. They allege that Saudi authorities abducted, tortured, repeatedly detained and coerced Naimi. Those allegations have not been independently confirmed by the UK government or Saudi authorities.

The family’s account

According to the family, Naimi was seized in Dubai in 2017 after returning from travel with his father, former Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi. They say he was moved through Abu Dhabi to Saudi Arabia and held during the Ritz-Carlton roundup of prominent princes, officials and business figures. He was released in 2018 after signing a financial settlement, but remained under surveillance and was prevented from leaving the kingdom.

The family says Naimi was detained again in 2022 and disappeared from public view for nearly two years. They later learned that he was being held in Al Ha’ir prison. Following a secret proceeding, he received a six-year sentence in 2025 over allegations involving business activity and his father’s former influence, the Guardian reported. Naimi denies wrongdoing and is now facing another proceeding connected to social-media accounts and an alleged attempt to leave Saudi Arabia.

Why the case is diplomatically difficult

The family’s decision to campaign publicly changes the political setting even though it does not alter Naimi’s legal status. It places pressure on Britain’s new leadership and its overseas-detention envoy to explain what assistance has been offered and what further steps are possible. The Foreign Office declined to discuss the individual case, while the Saudi embassy was approached for comment. That leaves the detailed account dependent on the family, its lawyers and the campaign.

Official British guidance underscores the constraints. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office says the country where a kidnapping or hostage situation occurs normally leads the response, although British officials can maintain a dedicated team, liaise with local authorities, support relatives and advise on media handling. Separate Saudi travel guidance warns that national-security proceedings can be slow, access to lawyers or consular representatives may be delayed, and travel bans connected to investigations can last for years.

A wider rights context

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has previously expressed concern about what it described as a widespread or systemic pattern of arbitrary detention in Saudi Arabia. That finding concerns the broader national record and does not establish the Naimi family’s specific allegations. It nevertheless explains why the case will attract scrutiny from rights advocates focused on due process, treatment in custody and prosecutions linked to political expression.

What comes next

The immediate questions are whether British ministers meet the family, whether consular access or legal observation can be expanded and how the new Saudi proceeding develops. Any report about the case will need to preserve the distinction between confirmed procedural facts and the family’s allegations. A substantive response from Saudi authorities, a public British diplomatic step or a documented court decision would provide the next independently assessable development.