Saudi woman sentenced to 34 years in prison for using Twitter

A 34-year-old Saudi woman was sentenced to 34 years in prison after being arrested last year for allegedly following and retweeting dissidents and activists on Twitter, prompting human rights organisations to condemn the harsh ruling.

The woman, who is a PhD student at UK’s Leeds University, had returned home for holidays when she was booked.

The sentence was handed down by Saudi Arabia's special terrorist court just weeks after US President Joe Biden's visit to Saudi Arabia, which human rights activists warned could embolden the kingdom to intensify its crackdown on dissidents and other pro-democracy activists.

The case is also the latest example of how Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has targeted Twitter users in his repression campaign, while also controlling a significant indirect stake in the US social media company through Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The ruling is reportedly one of the longest prison sentences given to a Saudi woman’s rights defender.

A special terrorist court sentenced Salma al-Shehab to three years in prison at first. According to the court, Shehab used an internet website to "create public unrest and destabilise civil and national security." Later, on Monday, an appeals court revised the sentence to 34 years in prison and a 34-year travel ban.

A number of human rights organisations have condemned the sentencing of the court.

In the #Saudi authorities’ longest prison sentence ever for a peaceful activist, the Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal on 9 August handed down terms totalling 34 years without suspension to women’s rights campaigner Salma al-Shehab. #SaudiArabiahttps://t.co/3bRLwqioec pic.twitter.com/fYgVrATNFX

— ALQST for Human Rights (@ALQST_En) August 15, 2022

In a statement, The Freedom Initiative said that Shehab comes from the Shia Muslim minority, who have long faced discrimination in Saudi Arabia. "The court's ruling has cited her social media account, where she was supportive of women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul, and called for her freedom," it said.

The Human Rights organisation further said, "Saudi Arabia has boasted to the world that they are improving women’s rights and creating legal reform, but there is no question with this abhorrent sentence that the situation is only getting worse. It is unfortunately no surprise that MbS feels more empowered than ever in presiding over such egregious rights violations."

According to a report in the Guardian, court documents allege that Shehab was "assisting those who seek to cause public unrest and destabilize civil and national security by following their Twitter accounts" and retweeting their tweets. According to the report, she is not a well-known activist in the country or abroad, with only 2,597 followers on Twitter and 159 followers on Instagram.

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