Salma al-Shehab was arrested in January 2021, when she was returning to the country, for sharing a post in favor of democracy. The young woman has been accused of disturbing public order and spreading “false rumours”. In 2022 the number of people executed skyrockets, in the first six months there are already 120. The activists fear that the 186 executions – a record number – that took place in 2019 will be exceeded.
Riyadh () – The Saudi authorities sentenced a young woman to 34 years in prison for spreading messages from activists calling for greater freedoms on her Twitter account and sharing posts in favor of women’s right to drive. A doctoral student at the University of Leeds – the same university weighed in expressing “deep concern” about the case – Salma al-Shehab (pictured) was arrested in January 2021 when she returned to Saudi Arabia for a short holiday. These days the sentence feeds the issue of rights and freedoms in the country, despite the “reformist” proclamations of Mohammad bin Salman (Mbs).
Sources close to the case explain that the student, before returning to her country of origin, had expressed her desire for reforms to take place in Saudi Arabia and for the activists imprisoned to regain their freedom. Human rights groups speak of a “harsh sentence” that belies the claims of the Riyadh authorities that the situation of rights and freedoms in the kingdom is constantly improving. The sentence was handed down by an anti-terrorism court, which accused Shebab of fomenting dissidence to “disturb public order” and feeding “false rumours”.
Human rights associations point out that this is “the longest sentence” ever imposed against a “peaceful activist”. The young woman belongs to the Shiite minority, in a country with a vast Sunni majority, and she presents herself on social networks as a dental hygienist and educator. Her Instagram account – which has 2,700 followers – has not been updated since January 12, 2021, allegedly three days before the date she was detained in Saudi Arabia. In addition to the 34 years in prison, when she is released she will not be able to leave the country or travel abroad for another 34 years.
In the last year, Riyadh has not only imposed harsh sentences on activists and civil society figures, but has also decisively increased the number of executions. According to data from the Saudi Organization for Human Rights (Esohr), the Wahhabi kingdom could break the record for death sentences (186 in total) carried out in 2019. In the first half of 2022, in fact, executions reached 120, a This figure is already almost double the 65 registered last year, when the Covid-19 pandemic had at least partially reduced the number.
The statistics contradict the official version of the authorities, who had promised to limit the number of executions. In addition, in many cases the death penalty is also imposed for issues related to protests in favor of rights and freedom of expression. The activist group Esohr also takes aim at the ways in which the trials are carried out, with the widespread use of torture and the lack of access to legal protection before the hearings begin. Last March, Riyadh carried out a mass execution of 81 people in a single day, a record number even for a country where the death penalty is widely used. Of these, half (41 in total) were members of the Shia minority.
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