'Women like Salma must be recognized and protected, not targeted for expressing their opinions,' one advocate said.
The extraordinarily lengthy sentence adds to the chilling effect among government critics and civil society at large and is yet another example of Saudi authorities weaponizing the country’s counterterrorism and anti-cybercrime laws to target, intimidate, and retaliate against human rights defenders and those who voice dissent.
Saudi Arabia must not only release al-Shehab so that she can re-join her family, but also review all convictions stemming from free expression against human rights defenders, including women who were jailed after they legitimately demanded reforms of discriminatory policies, as well as religious leaders and journalists.
Diana Semaan, Amnesty International’s acting deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, similarlythe kingdom’s authorities Thursday, declaring that “it is outrageous that Salma al-Shehab, a Ph.D. student and mother of two from Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority, has been handed down such a cruel and unlawful punishment simply for using Twitter and retweeting activists who support women’s rights.
Al-Shehab was arrested in January 2021 while on holiday in Saudi Arabia and initially sentenced to six years behind bars, but the country’s Specialized Criminal Court of Appeal increased her sentence last week. According to Semaan, “Al-Shehab should never have been convicted in the first place, but to have her sentence increased from six to 34 years following an unfair trial shows that the authorities intend to use her to set an example amid their unrelenting crackdown on free speech.”
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