Briton facing lashes in Saudi Arabia to be freed

The family of a 74-year-old British grandfather who was threatened with flogging for breaking Saudi Arabia’s strict anti-alcohol laws have said they are “absolutely thrilled” he is to be released.

Karl Andree has been locked up since his arrest in Jeddah in August last year when he was caught with home-made wine.

During a visit to Saudi Arabia, the British foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, confirmed Andree would be released within a week .

His son, Simon Andree, said: “It is great news if what the Saudis and the government is saying is true. I’m absolutely thrilled. Hopefully we’ll have him home next week.”

Hammond said it was because of the “strength, depth and breadth” of relations between the UK and Saudi Arabia that they were able to “achieve effective results”.

Some reports suggested that Saudi officials never intended for Andree to be flogged, due to his age and health, but his family questioned the release delay.

Andree’s family urged his release on compassionate grounds because his wife is dying of Alzheimer’s and is in Britain receiving care. He has lived in the Middle East for the last 25 years, having worked in the oil industry.

Prime minister David Cameron tweeted: “Good to hear news from #Saudi that #KarlAndree is to be released within the week.”

More than 230,000 people signed an online petition calling on the prime minister to intervene to stop Andree, who has battled cancer and suffers from asthma, from facing lashings.

Brit facing 350 lashes in Saudi 'to be released'. UK shouldn't forget @raif_badawi & others https://t.co/ClnGWU7Y5f pic.twitter.com/ibIk8SfiMV

— Amnesty UK (@AmnestyUK) October 28, 2015

Three of his grandchildren, Lucy, 12, Celia, 10, and Edward, 9, also appealed to Cameron in a video message, in which they said their grandfather was a “really old man” and “no human deserves to be treated like this”.

The foreign secretary is holding a series of talks with the country’s ruler, King Salman, and other members of the royal family and officials during his visit to the Gulf state.

The trip comes just days after Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the UK warned of “potentially serious repercussions” of a breakdown in relations with Britain and a lack of “mutual respect”.

Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz singled out the cancellation of a deal to train prison staff in the Gulf state as he railed against an “alarming change in the way Saudi Arabia is discussed in Britain”.

But Hammond said his tour would allow him talk to “key partners” about “security issues”.