Saudi Arabia jails Leeds university university student for 34 Yrs because she experienced a Twitter account

A Saudi college student at Leeds University who returned to the kingdom for a holiday has been sentenced to 34 yrs in prison for having a Twitter account and for subsequent and retweeting dissident activists. 

Salma al-Shebab, 34, was accused of employing Twitter to ’cause public unrest and destabilise civil and nationwide security’ just after she posted tweets contacting for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Shebab, who has two younger sons aged four and 6, was to begin with sentenced to six several years in prison but a Saudi terrorism court on Monday increased her jail-expression to 34 several years soon after the activist appealed her sentence. 

The mom-of-two will also confront a 34-yr vacation ban after serving her sentence.

Salma al-Shebab, 34, was accused of utilizing Twitter to ’cause general public unrest and destabilise civil and countrywide security’ soon after she posted tweets calling for women’s legal rights in Saudi Arabia

In sentencing, the court cited Al-Shebab’s social media action where by she tweeted in assistance of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia and expressed solidarity with imprisoned women’s legal rights activists these types of as Loujain al-Hathloul and known as for their launch.

Al-Shebab was arrested following she retweeted a submit from Al-Hathloul’s sister Lina which examine: ‘Freedom for Loujain Al-Hathloul … Liberty for all prisoners of conscience. Your flexibility is my to start with would like for this New Year – Happy New Calendar year.’

Al-Shebab would also occasionally retweet posts from dissident activists who were living in exile. 

She was accused of ‘providing succour to those looking for to disrupt public purchase and undermine the basic safety of the standard public and balance of the state, and publishing fake and tendentious rumours on Twitter’.

Al-Shebab was arrested in January 2021 although on holiday getaway in Saudi Arabia just days in advance of she planned to return to the Uk, the place she was a PhD university student at the University of Leeds.

Al-Shehab’s spiritual identification as a Shi’a Muslim, who is considered to have been a element in her arrest and sentencing.

Al-Shebab, who has two young sons aged four and 6 (pictured with each other), was in the beginning sentenced to six several years in prison but a Saudi terrorism courtroom on Monday increased her jail-phrase to 34 many years soon after the activist appealed her sentence

Dr Bethany Al-Haidari, the Saudi scenario manager at the US-centered human rights organisation, claimed: ‘Saudi Arabia has boasted to the earth that they are strengthening women’s rights and making lawful reform, but there is no question with this abhorrent sentence that the situation is only getting even worse. 

It is unfortunately no shock that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman feels more empowered than ever in presiding more than these kinds of egregious rights violations.’

The ruling for Salma’s sentence cited her social media account, in which she was supportive of women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul and referred to as for her freedom. 

‘Though Salma was at first sentenced to 6-decades in the initially occasion courtroom, the sentence was improved to 34 a long time throughout the attraction. This is the longest known sentence for a women’s legal rights activist in Saudi Arabia.’

Al-Hathloul, who continues to be wrongfully held in Saudi Arabia under a travel ban, was introduced from jail just weeks immediately after al-Shebab’s detention. Al-Shebab experienced named for Al-Hathloul’s release from prison. 

Al-Haidari extra: ‘It is ironic that though Loujain’s release was celebrated, Salma remained guiding bars on the ground that she termed for that pretty launch. 

‘It’s a pattern for Saudi authorities to guarantee that women of all ages activists won’t be able to rejoice or get credit rating for any of their hard-received victories.’