DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Saudi doctoral student studying at Leeds University, Salma al-Shehab, has been released after a significant reduction of her lengthy sentence for her Twitter activities, as announced by a human rights organization on Monday. Al-Shehab, who is also a mother of two, was initially handed a 34-year prison sentence in 2022, which was part of a broader campaign targeting dissent in Saudi Arabia under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s leadership.
The London-based rights group, ALQST, reported that al-Shehab’s sentence had been shortened to four years, with an additional four years suspended. They emphasized the necessity for her complete freedom, which includes the ability to travel and continue her education. Amnesty International also confirmed her release in their statements.
Dana Ahmed, a Middle East researcher with Amnesty International, highlighted the harsh conditions al-Shehab faced during her detention, which included nearly 300 days in solitary confinement and a lack of legal support. “She was repeatedly convicted on terrorism charges simply for expressing support for women’s rights and retweeting activists advocating for those rights,” Ahmed stated.
While Saudi Arabia did not officially acknowledge al-Shehab’s release, there was no response from Saudi officials to inquiries regarding the matter. Her detainment began while she was on a family trip on January 15, 2021, only days before her scheduled return to the UK. As a member of the Shiite Muslim minority in Saudi Arabia, al-Shehab’s experience also reflects the systemic discrimination faced by this group in the predominantly Sunni nation.
The charges against her included accusations of “disturbing public order” and “destabilizing the social fabric,” all linked to her social media activities, according to an official document. Authorities claimed that she had followed and retweeted accounts that were critical of the government and disseminated false information.
Since Crown Prince Mohammed’s rise, there have been notable social reforms in the kingdom, such as lifting the ban on women driving in 2018. However, these changes have coincided with a significant crackdown on dissent, targeting influential figures within the country. U.S. intelligence assessments suggest that he may have greenlighted the 2018 assassination of prominent dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a claim he has refuted.
Other women have also faced severe consequences, such as Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani, sentenced to 45 years for her social media activities. Both women’s trials took place before a specialized court initially set up for terrorism cases, but which has expanded its focus amid the ongoing suppression of dissent. The United Nations’ Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has deemed the detentions of both al-Shehab and al-Qahtani as arbitrary.
