This “extraordinarily long” sentence could have a “dissuasive” effect on “government critics and civil society in general,” according to the UN Human Rights Office.
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Posted on 08/19/2022 20:21 Updated on 08/19/2022 20:33
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The organization said it was “dismayed” by the Saudi court’s decision. The United Nations has called for the immediate and unconditional release of a Saudi student who was sentenced on Friday, August 19 to 34 years in prison for tweeting critical of the government.
Saudi graduate student Salma Al-Shehab was convicted of using her tweets to “provide aid” to political opponents who are trying to “disrupt public order,” according to a decision by a Saudi Arabian appeals court handed down Aug. 9 . After her release from detention, she is not allowed to leave the country for the same period.
“She should never have been arrested and charged with such behavior,” said a spokeswoman for the UN human rights office, adding that this “extraordinarily long prison sentence” could have a “dissuasive” impact on “government critics and civil society”. The court decision is also “a new example of how the Saudi authorities are using the country’s anti-terrorism and anti-cybercrime laws to target human rights defenders,” the spokesman denounced.
The UN Human Rights Office is also urging the Saudi authorities to review all free speech-related convictions of human rights defenders. He specifically mentions “the women jailed after lawfully demanding reforms of discriminatory policies, as well as religious leaders and journalists”.