Saudi woman activist Salma Al-Shehab sentenced to 34 years in prison for using Twitter

A court in Saudi Arabia has sent a woman to prison for 34 years because of her tweets. The accused Salma al-Shehab was charged with helping dissidents who allegedly aimed to disrupt the natural order of the nation. A Saudi appeals court has passed a sentence against Salma Al-Shehab, calling for her imprisonment and banning international travel during her sentence.

Salma al-Shehab is a Ph.D. student at the University of Leeds in Britain. Shehab, a mother of two children, has 2,600 followers on Twitter. Shehab had openly tweeted about Saudi women's rights in the otherwise conservative and orthodox Sunni Muslim society. Her sentence is a part of the latest crackdown on rights activists in Gulf nations. Many activists have been sentenced to prison like Shehab.

A little less than a month ago, the US President, Joe Biden, travelled to Saudi Arabia and faced criticism for visiting such a kingdom with rigid human rights rules.




Shehab's arrest happened in January 2021 while she was visiting the country on holiday from the UK. Initially, Shehab received a six-year sentence, including a suspension and travel ban of three years. However, the appeals court toughened its stance and extended her sentence.

Shehab, however, has the right to appeal against the latest sentence at Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court within 30 days.

Meanwhile, a human rights group based out of London, ALQST, has denounced Saudi Arabia's ruling, calling it the longest ever sentence for a peaceful activist. The head of communications of the group, Lina al-Hathloul, stated that the sentence ridiculed the claims that Saudi authorities made on reforming their legal system and women's rights.

Shehab's close friend revealed that Shehab never imagined her tweets causing her any backlash, given their peaceful nature. As such, Shehab was surprised at her arrest.

Saudi Arabia was recently seen evolving as the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, introduced different reforms favouring women. Common examples include: abolishing the ban on driving and the mandate on wearing a headscarf. However, these measures are irrelevant as the kingdom has launched a significant crackdown against activists propagating dissent over the nation's rules.