Sinéad Baker
Wed, August 17, 2022
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Bernd von Jutrczenka/Getty Images
A Saudi PhD student was given 34 years in prison for following and retweeting dissidents.
She was accused of aiding people who want to harm national security by following them, per The Guardian.
Rights groups say this is the longest sentence for an activist and could signal greater crackdowns to come.
A Saudi Arabian PhD student was sentenced to 34 years in prison for following and retweeting dissidents and activists on Twitter, The Guardian reported, citing translated court documents.
Salma al-Shehab, 34, was studying at Leeds University in the UK and went home to Saudi Arabia for a vacation in December 2020 when she was questioned by authorities, arrested, and put on trial, The Guardian reported.
Al-Shehab, who is married with two children, was first sentenced to three years for using a website to "cause public unrest and destabilize civil and national security," The Guardian reported.
But on Monday she was sentenced to more time by an appeals court over the Twitter accounts she followed and retweeted, the report said.
She was given a total 34 years in prison followed by a 34-year travel ban, The Guardian reported.
The Washington Post also reported the sentence, as did the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights and the US-based nonprofit Freedom Initiative.
The translated court documents seen by The Guardian said al-Shehab was accused of "assisting those who seek to cause public unrest and destabilize civil and national security by following their Twitter accounts."
According to The Guardian, she had retweeted Saudi dissidents who called for political prisoners held in Saudi Arabia to be released. The Post reported that she also advocated for women's right to drive, a policy that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman allowed in 2018, though activists were still imprisoned.
The Guardian noted that al-Shehab did not have a large online following — she reportedly had around 2,500 followers — and was not known for being an activist, with many of her tweets being about her children.
She may be able to appeal, The Guardian said.
Twitter declined to comment on al-Shehab's the case to The Guardian. Saudi Arabia's government holds a significant investment in Twitter, The Guardian noted.
Both the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights and Freedom Initiative said al-Shehab's sentence was the longest prison sentence given to an activist, and could signal more crackdowns on dissent.
Human-rights groups say Saudi Arabia frequently arrests people who voice disagreements with the government — sometimes years after they made any public criticisms.
This included the arrest of dozens of people when Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, became crown prince in 2017. He has since been considered the kingdom's de facto ruler.
Two senior Saudi were arrested in 2020 for not supporting him, sources close to the royal family told the Associated Press at the time. MBS has also imprisoned many high-profile political figures whom he considered to be a threat to his grip on power.
Saudi doctoral student gets 34 years in prison for tweets
In this frame grab from Saudi state television footage, doctoral student and women's rights advocate Salma al-Shehab speaks to a journalist at the Riyadh International Book Fair in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in March 2014. A Saudi court has sentenced al-Shehab to 34 years in prison for spreading "rumors" on Twitter and retweeting dissidents, according to court documents obtained Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, a decision that has drawn growing global condemnation.
(Saudi state television via AP)
ISABEL DEBRE
Thu, August 18, 2022
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Saudi court has sentenced a doctoral student to 34 years in prison for spreading “rumors” and retweeting dissidents, according to court documents obtained Thursday, a decision that has drawn growing global condemnation.
Activists and lawyers consider the sentence against Salma al-Shehab, a mother of two and a researcher at Leeds University in Britain, shocking even by Saudi standards of justice.
So far unacknowledged by the kingdom, the ruling comes amid Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's crackdown on dissent even as his rule granted women the right to drive and other new freedoms in the ultraconservative Islamic nation.
Al-Shehab was detained during a family vacation on Jan. 15, 2021, just days before she planned to return to the United Kingdom, according to the Freedom Initiative, a Washington-based human rights group.
Al-Shehab told judges she had been held for over 285 days in solitary confinement before her case was even referred to court, the legal documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
The Freedom Initiative describes al-Shehab as a member of Saudi Arabia's Shiite Muslim minority, which has long complained of systematic discrimination in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.
“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," said Bethany al-Haidari, the group's Saudi case manager.
Leading human rights watchdog Amnesty International on Thursday slammed al-Shehab's trial as “grossly unfair” and her sentence as “cruel and unlawful.”
Since rising to power in 2017, Prince Mohammed has accelerated efforts to diversify the kingdom's economy away from oil with massive tourism projects — most recently plans to create the world’s longest buildings that would stretch for more than 100 miles in the desert. But he has also faced criticism over his arrests of those who fail to fall in line, including dissidents and activists but also princes and businessmen.
Judges accused al-Shehab of “disturbing public order” and “destabilizing the social fabric" — claims stemming solely from her social media activity, according to an official charge sheet. They alleged al-Shehab followed and retweeted dissident accounts on Twitter and “transmitted false rumors.”
The specialized criminal court handed down the unusually harsh 34-year sentence under Saudi counterterrorism and cybercrime laws, to be followed by a 34-year travel ban. The decision came earlier this month as al-Shehab appealed her initial sentence of six years.
“The (six-year) prison sentence imposed on the defendant was minor in view of her crimes,” a state prosecutor told the appeals court. “I'm calling to amend the sentence in light of her support for those who are trying to cause disorder and destabilize society, as shown by her following and retweeting (Twitter) accounts."
The Saudi government in Riyadh, as well as its embassies in Washington and London, did not respond to a request for comment.
Leeds University confirmed that al-Shehab was in her final year of doctoral studies at the medical school.
“We are deeply concerned to learn of this recent development in Salma’s case and we are seeking advice on whether there is anything we can do to support her," the university said.
Al-Shehab's sentencing also drew the attention of Washington, where the State Department said Wednesday it was “studying the case.”
“Exercising freedom of expression to advocate for the rights of women should not be criminalized, it should never be criminalized,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom expressed concern on Twitter Thursday that the kingdom targeted al-Shehab “for her peaceful activism in solidarity w/political prisoners," as well as for her Shiite identity.
Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden traveled to the oil-rich kingdom and held talks with Prince Mohammed in which he said he raised human rights concerns. Their meeting — and much-criticized fist-bump — marked a sharp turn-around from Biden's earlier vow to make the kingdom a “pariah” over the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
During her appeal, al-Shehab said the harsh judgement was tantamount to the “destruction of me, my family, my future, and the future of my children.” She has two young boys, aged 4 and 6.
She told judges she had no idea that simply retweeting posts “out of curiosity and to observe others' viewpoints," from a personal account with no more than 2,000 followers, constituted terrorism.
___
Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
ISABEL DEBRE
Thu, August 18, 2022
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Saudi court has sentenced a doctoral student to 34 years in prison for spreading “rumors” and retweeting dissidents, according to court documents obtained Thursday, a decision that has drawn growing global condemnation.
Activists and lawyers consider the sentence against Salma al-Shehab, a mother of two and a researcher at Leeds University in Britain, shocking even by Saudi standards of justice.
So far unacknowledged by the kingdom, the ruling comes amid Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's crackdown on dissent even as his rule granted women the right to drive and other new freedoms in the ultraconservative Islamic nation.
Al-Shehab was detained during a family vacation on Jan. 15, 2021, just days before she planned to return to the United Kingdom, according to the Freedom Initiative, a Washington-based human rights group.
Al-Shehab told judges she had been held for over 285 days in solitary confinement before her case was even referred to court, the legal documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
The Freedom Initiative describes al-Shehab as a member of Saudi Arabia's Shiite Muslim minority, which has long complained of systematic discrimination in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.
“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," said Bethany al-Haidari, the group's Saudi case manager.
Leading human rights watchdog Amnesty International on Thursday slammed al-Shehab's trial as “grossly unfair” and her sentence as “cruel and unlawful.”
Since rising to power in 2017, Prince Mohammed has accelerated efforts to diversify the kingdom's economy away from oil with massive tourism projects — most recently plans to create the world’s longest buildings that would stretch for more than 100 miles in the desert. But he has also faced criticism over his arrests of those who fail to fall in line, including dissidents and activists but also princes and businessmen.
Judges accused al-Shehab of “disturbing public order” and “destabilizing the social fabric" — claims stemming solely from her social media activity, according to an official charge sheet. They alleged al-Shehab followed and retweeted dissident accounts on Twitter and “transmitted false rumors.”
The specialized criminal court handed down the unusually harsh 34-year sentence under Saudi counterterrorism and cybercrime laws, to be followed by a 34-year travel ban. The decision came earlier this month as al-Shehab appealed her initial sentence of six years.
“The (six-year) prison sentence imposed on the defendant was minor in view of her crimes,” a state prosecutor told the appeals court. “I'm calling to amend the sentence in light of her support for those who are trying to cause disorder and destabilize society, as shown by her following and retweeting (Twitter) accounts."
The Saudi government in Riyadh, as well as its embassies in Washington and London, did not respond to a request for comment.
Leeds University confirmed that al-Shehab was in her final year of doctoral studies at the medical school.
“We are deeply concerned to learn of this recent development in Salma’s case and we are seeking advice on whether there is anything we can do to support her," the university said.
Al-Shehab's sentencing also drew the attention of Washington, where the State Department said Wednesday it was “studying the case.”
“Exercising freedom of expression to advocate for the rights of women should not be criminalized, it should never be criminalized,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom expressed concern on Twitter Thursday that the kingdom targeted al-Shehab “for her peaceful activism in solidarity w/political prisoners," as well as for her Shiite identity.
Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden traveled to the oil-rich kingdom and held talks with Prince Mohammed in which he said he raised human rights concerns. Their meeting — and much-criticized fist-bump — marked a sharp turn-around from Biden's earlier vow to make the kingdom a “pariah” over the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
During her appeal, al-Shehab said the harsh judgement was tantamount to the “destruction of me, my family, my future, and the future of my children.” She has two young boys, aged 4 and 6.
She told judges she had no idea that simply retweeting posts “out of curiosity and to observe others' viewpoints," from a personal account with no more than 2,000 followers, constituted terrorism.
___
Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Saudi mother handed 34-year jail sentence for using Twitter
James Rothwell
Wed, August 17, 2022
Salma Al-Shehab was handed a 34-year sentence and a 34-year travel ban for Twitter activism
A Leeds university student and mother-of-two in Saudi Arabia has been sent to jail for 34 years for Twitter activism, in what is believed to be the longest-ever prison sentence given to a critic of the kingdom.
Salma Al-Shehab, a PhD student, was on holiday in Saudi Arabia in January 2021 when she was arrested on sedition charges for having a Twitter account and for retweeting critics of the Saudi leadership to her fewer than 3,000 followers.
The mother-of-two was initially sentenced to six years in prison sometime last year. But this week she was handed a new 34-year sentence and a 34-year travel ban, as part of what human rights groups said was the most draconian sentence they had seen in cases involving critics of Saudi Arabia.
According to a translation of the court records, which were seen by the Guardian, the new charges include “assisting those who seek to cause public unrest and destabilise civil and national security by following their Twitter accounts” and by re-tweeting their tweets.
Human rights groups have warned that Saudi Arabia is embarking on a grim new phase in its crackdown on women.
James Rothwell
Wed, August 17, 2022
Salma Al-Shehab was handed a 34-year sentence and a 34-year travel ban for Twitter activism
A Leeds university student and mother-of-two in Saudi Arabia has been sent to jail for 34 years for Twitter activism, in what is believed to be the longest-ever prison sentence given to a critic of the kingdom.
Salma Al-Shehab, a PhD student, was on holiday in Saudi Arabia in January 2021 when she was arrested on sedition charges for having a Twitter account and for retweeting critics of the Saudi leadership to her fewer than 3,000 followers.
The mother-of-two was initially sentenced to six years in prison sometime last year. But this week she was handed a new 34-year sentence and a 34-year travel ban, as part of what human rights groups said was the most draconian sentence they had seen in cases involving critics of Saudi Arabia.
According to a translation of the court records, which were seen by the Guardian, the new charges include “assisting those who seek to cause public unrest and destabilise civil and national security by following their Twitter accounts” and by re-tweeting their tweets.
Human rights groups have warned that Saudi Arabia is embarking on a grim new phase in its crackdown on women.
Sentence part of crackdown on female critics
The European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights warned that the ruling "sets a dangerous precedent for women activists and human rights defenders". It also warned that the kingdom was pushing ahead with "grave violations against women activists without any hesitation".
"The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights considers that the sentence issued against Salma Al-Shehab is unprecedented and dangerous, as it is the longest prison sentence issued against female or male activists and might be a step towards further escalation against them," the human rights group added.
Ms Shehab's arrest appears to be linked to a widening crackdown by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on female critics, with officials using Twitter activity as evidence to secure convictions.
Ms Shehab, 34, had a relatively small and unassuming presence on social media, with only around 2,500 Twitter followers and just 159 followers on Instagram.
She occasionally retweeted statements by Saudi dissidents living abroad and appears to have supported the plight of Loujain al-Hathloul, the Saudi feminist activist who was imprisoned and allegedly tortured by Saudi authorities.
Speaking to the Guardian, an acquaintance of Ms Shehab described her as a well-educated and avid reader who came to the UK in 2018 or 2019 to study her phD at Leeds University.
Calls for President Biden to secure her release
She reportedly went back to Saudi Arabia for a holiday in December 2020 and had intended to bring her husband and two children back to Britain before she was arrested. An editorial in the Washington Post has called on President Joe Biden to secure her release and allow her family to return to Britain.
In her appeal, Ms Shehab denied the charges of sedition and accusations of being a security risk. She pointed out that she had a small following online and that her social media posts were peaceful and included posts about her children. She is said to have been held in solitary confinement for 284 days.
Her last post on Twitter was on January 13 2021, a retweet of a classic Arabic song about missing the company of a loved one. Another tweet called for "freedom to the prisoners of conscience and to every oppressed person in the world".
Lina al-Hathloul, the sister of Loujain and a member of the London-based human rights group ALQST, told the Washington Post that the sentence included an order to close Ms Shehab's Twitter account.
The rights group was working to prevent Twitter from closing the account, or at least ensure Twitter realises the request to close it came from Saudi authorities and not Ms Shehab herself, she said.
According to Saudi human rights activists, at least one pro-Saudi "troll account" has boasted of reporting Ms Shehab to the authorities using an app for tracking crime.
The three-decade sentence was handed down just a few weeks after President Biden visited Saudi Arabia to discuss oil production amid the global energy crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Critics say that controversial visit has legitimised the Crown Prince, who became a global pariah in 2018 after he allegedly ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Saudi commentator. The Crown Prince strongly denies he ordered the murder, which Saudi Arabia blamed on rogue agents.
The Telegraph approached Saudi authorities for comment but did not immediately receive a response. The Guardian said Twitter declined to comment on the case or respond to questions about whether Saudi Arabia has any influence over the company. Twitter did not immediately respond when contacted by the Telegraph.
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