Relatives of some Saudi detainees anxiously await Biden trip

FILE PHOTO: Human rights organizations celebrate the unveiling of 'Jamal Khashoggi Way' outside of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in honor of the murdered Saudi born journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in Washington, U.S., June 15, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

RIYADH (Reuters) - Malik al-Dowaish was arrested this month following years of campaigning for the release of his father, who was himself detained in 2016 after he gave a sermon seen as critical of the Saudi Arabian royal family, two sources familiar with the matter said.

"I really don't know the secret behind my father's arrest," Dowaish said, in a video that he recorded before his arrest and seen by Reuters. "But it is very strange that he has not been tried so that a court could look at any charges that have been brought against him."