Saudi woman sentenced to 45 years in prison for social media posts

According to activists, a Saudi woman has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for her social media posts, the second such case this month.

According to the rights group Dawn, a terrorism court convicted Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani of “using the Internet to tear the social fabric” and “violating public order by using social media.”

Other than the fact that she criticized Saudi leaders, little is known about her.

On August 9, another woman was sentenced to 34 years in prison for her Twitter activity.

Dawn’s director of research for the Gulf region, Abdullah Alaoudh, told the BBC’s Newshour that the US-based learned of Qahtani’s case only after receiving court documents from a judicial source and that it was continuing to investigate.

“There is no mention of any violence or criminal activity in her court documents,” he said.

“The allegations against her are extremely broad. “They are employing counter-terrorism and anti-cybercrime legislation… which can criminalize any posting that is even remotely critical of the government,” he added.

Since last year, several other female activists have reportedly been detained in connection with social media posts. Mr. Alaoudh expressed concern that they, too, could face lengthy prison sentences.

“The Saudi government is sending a clear message to the West that it is unconcerned about human rights.”

Mr. Alaoudh warned that it was “impossible not to draw a connection” between US President Joe Biden’s controversial meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed in Jeddah last month and “an increase in repressive attacks.”

Mr. Biden previously threatened to declare Saudi Arabia a “pariah” for its human rights record.

ALQST, a UK-based human rights , also expressed grave concern about Qahtani’s sentence, which it claimed was based on “tweets.”

“As expected, we are witnessing an alarming deterioration in Saudi Arabia’s human rights situation,” it added.

The Saudi Prisoners of Conscience account also confirmed the sentence, but there was no immediate response from Saudi authorities.

Salma Al-Shehab, a Saudi Ph.D. student at Leeds University, was sentenced to 34 years in prison earlier this month.

In January 2021, she was arrested while on vacation in Saudi Arabia and found guilty of “providing succor to those seeking to disrupt public order” and “publishing false and tendentious rumors.”

Before leaving England, the 34-year-old mother of two had called for reforms and the release of prominent activists and intellectuals imprisoned as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s anti-dissent crackdown.

Until Qahtani’s sentence was reported, Shehab’s sentence was thought to be the longest ever handed down to a peaceful activist in the country.

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Abdullah Alaoudh
Gulf
Internet
Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani
Saudi