Saudi Arabia jails Leeds University student for 34 YEARS because she had a Twitter account and followed dissident activists
- Salma al-Shebab, 34, posted tweets calling for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia
- She retweeted dissident activists and called for the release of jailed activists
- Saudi Arabia accused her of using Twitter to “cause public disorder and destabilize civil and national security” and the anti-terrorism court sentenced her to 34 years in prison
A Saudi University of Leeds student who returned to the kingdom for a holiday has been sentenced to 34 years in prison for having a Twitter account and for following and retweeting dissident activists.
Salma al-Shebab, 34, has been accused of using Twitter to “cause public unrest and destabilize civil and national security” after posting tweets calling for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Shabaab, who has two young sons aged four and six, was initially sentenced to six years in prison, but a Saudi counterterrorism court on Monday increased her prison term to 34 years after the activist appealed against his conviction.
The mother-of-two will also face a 34-year travel ban after serving her sentence.
Salma al-Shebab, 34, has been accused of using Twitter to ’cause public unrest and destabilize civil and national security’ after posting tweets calling for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia
During sentencing, the court cited Al-Shabaab’s social media activity where she tweeted in favor of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia and expressed solidarity with imprisoned women’s rights activists such as Loujain al-Hathloul and called for their release.
Al-Shabaab was arrested after she retweeted a message from Al-Hathloul’s sister, Lina, which read: “Freedom for Loujain Al-Hathloul…Freedom for all prisoners of conscience.” Your freedom is my first wish for this new year – happy new year.’
Al-Shabaab also sometimes retweeted messages from dissident activists who lived in exile.
She was accused of “rescuing those who sought to disturb public order and undermine the safety of the general public and the stability of the state, and of posting false and biased rumors on Twitter “.
Al-Shabaab was arrested in January 2021 while on holiday in Saudi Arabia just days before she intended to return to the UK, where she was a PhD student at the University of Leeds.
Al-Shehab’s religious identity as a Shia Muslim, which allegedly played a role in her arrest and conviction.
Al-Shabab, who has two young sons aged four and six (pictured together), was originally sentenced to six years in prison, but a Saudi counter-terrorism court on Monday increased her prison term to 34 years after the activist appealed his conviction.
Dr Bethany Al-Haidari, Saudi case officer at the US-based human rights organization, said: “Saudi Arabia has bragged to the world about improving women’s rights and to create legal reform, but there is no doubt with this odious phrase that the situation is only getting worse.
Sadly, it’s no surprise that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman feels more empowered than ever to preside over such gross rights violations.
The decision on Salma’s sentence cited her social media account, where she supported women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul and called for her freedom.
“Although Salma was initially sentenced to 6 years at first instance, the sentence was increased to 34 years on appeal. This is the longest known sentence for a women’s rights activist in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Hathloul, who remains wrongfully detained in Saudi Arabia under a travel ban, was released from prison just weeks after al-Shabab was arrested. Al-Shabaab had called for the release of Al-Hathloul from prison.
Al-Haidari added: “It is ironic that while Loujain’s release was celebrated, Salma remained behind bars on the grounds that she called for this same release.
“It is a model for the Saudi authorities to ensure that women activists cannot celebrate or take credit for any of their hard-won victories.”
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