Plea for Liz Truss to act after Saudis jail UK student for 34 years over Twitter use

Shehab was in the final year of PhD studies in the School of Medicine, focusing on improving dental treatment for patients with disabilities.

Saudi Arabia has sought to improve its global reputation in recent years through tourism campaigns and the hosting of major sporting events, including golfing championships and boxing matches.

This weekend, it took centre stage when it hosted a heavyweight title fight between the British boxer Anthony Joshua and Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night. The fighters are reported to have been paid four times more to fight at the Jeddah Superdrome than they would have received at Wembley.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office did not respond to requests for comment.