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Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, right, with his sister Areej, during his 2013 graduation from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont.
(Courtesy of Areej al-Sadhan, via Twitter)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week condemned the Saudi Arabian government for sentencing an outspoken aid worker to 20 years in prison.
Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, 37, a graduate of Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, had been working in Riyadh for the Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian group. While there, he frequently commented on human rights abuses and social justice issues, expressing views critical of the government through an anonymous Twitter account that drew thousands of followers, according his sister, Areej al-Sadhan, an American citizen who lives in San Francisco.