PhD student sentenced to 34 years in prison for using Twitter in Saudi Arabia

RIYAD: A social activist, who questioned the Saudi Arabian government, has been sentenced to 34 years in prison. The accused has been identified as Salma al-Shehab (33), a PhD student at the University of Leeds in Britain. According to reports, she has been sentenced with imprisonment for her activity on Twitter.

Salma al-Shehab has been charged with offences such as helping dissidents to disrupt the natural order of the nation. According to certain human rights organizations, she has also been charged with undermining the safety of general public and stability of the state, and publishing false and tendentious rumours on Twitter.

Lately, Salma had shared numerous posts about political prisoners on her Twitter handle. She has frequently shared tweets calling for the release of social activists such as Loujain al-Hathloul, who were jailed for violating the law even though the ban on driving was lifted three years ago. Salma had also reacted over various issues, including the digital revolution and the guardianship system imposed by men over women.

The Saudi government has awarded Salma, a married woman and a mother of two, the longest prison sentence ever given to a man or woman in the country. Lately, at least 116 women were imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. Out of them, 60 are still in jail.