Amnesty International’s Middle East Researcher, Dana Ahmed, said: “Salma al-Shehab’s ordeal in prison is finally over. For more than four years she has been subjected to one gross injustice after another including at one point being handed an egregious 34-year prison sentence for her social media posts. She spent almost 300 days in prolonged solitary confinement, was denied legal representation, and was then repeatedly convicted on terrorism charges and handed a decades-long sentence. All just because she tweeted in support of women’s rights and retweeted Saudi women’s rights activists. Saudi Arabia’s authorities must now ensure she is not subjected to a travel ban or any further punitive measures.”
“While today is a day to celebrate Salma’s release, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the many others serving similarly lengthy sentences in Saudi Arabia for their activities online. This includes other women such as Manahel al-Otaibi, Noura al-Qahtani, jailed for speaking out for women’s rights, and Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, jailed for 20 years for satirical tweets. We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and end their relentless crackdown on the right to freedom of expression once and for all.”
In November 2024, NGOs called on Saudi Arabia to improve women’s rights following the scrutiny of the CEDAW Committee, which identified more than 20 principal areas of concern.
SOURCES: Amnesty.org, 18 November 2024. Index Number: MDE 23/8770/2024; Amnesty.org, 10 February 2025. SEE ALSO: Urgent Action, 3 April 2023.