Saudi woman jailed for 45 years over social media use, says group

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By Nick Quaz - August 30, 2022 thegaltimes  30 August 2022, nydailypaper Tue 30 Aug 2022 , theguardian. 30 August 2022 middleeasteye  August 30, 2022 dawnmena Press Release Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia

Saudi woman sentenced to 45 years in prison over social media posts

Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani has been convicted of 'using the internet to tear [Saudi Arabia's] social fabric', a rights group reveals

Saudi woman jailed for 45 years for social media posts

• Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani jailed for ‘violation of public order’
• Court convicted her of ‘using the internet to tear apart the Saudi social fabric’
• Comes after Leeds student sentenced to 34 years in prison for retweeting dissidents 

The Qahtani and Shehab cases underscored a crackdown on dissent driven by Prince Mohammed, the de facto Saudi ruler, though he favored reforms such as allowing women to drive and pushing projects to create jobs.

Relatives of Saudi political prisoners initially hoped Biden’s visit would help release loved ones held captive as part of the crackdown.

Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani accused of ‘using the internet to tear Saudi Arabia’s social fabric’

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi's highest de facto authority Saudi Arabia (REUTERS/Louiza Vradi)

Few details are known about Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani, the 45-year-old woman sentenced in Saudi Arabia for “violating public order” and “breaking the social fabric” through social networks.

In Qahtani's case, the Saudi authorities appear to have jailed her for “simply tweeting her views,” said Abdullah Alaoudh, Dawn's director for the Gulf region.

“It is impossible not to connect between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's meeting with President Biden last month in Jeddah and the rise in repressive attacks against anyone who dares criticize the Crown Prince or the Saudi government for well-documented abuses,” Alaoudh said. he said.

Mohammed bin Salman has been charged with plotting assassinations of Saudis abroad (Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERSFile)

Dawn broke the news hoping that people who know Qahtani can help your case. Saudi laws are designed to give authorities maximum discretion, including the power to detain people for counterterrorism laws that are vaguely defined, such as 'disturbing public order' and 'endangering national unity'

Qahtani does not appear to have had a Twitter account in her own name. Other Saudis believed to have used pseudonyms to post satirical or critical content on Twitter have faced detention and arrest.

Tensions over the human rights situation in oil-rich Saudi Arabia have strained ties with the United States, including over women’s rights and the 2018 murder and mutilation of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Saudi Authorities Escalate Repression with Series of Extreme Prison Sentences for Political Expression

(Washington D.C., August 30, 2022) – Saudi authorities have sentenced Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani to 45 years in prison after the Specialized Criminal Court convicted her of "using the Internet to tear the [country's] social fabric" and "violating the public order by using social media" under the Counter-Terrorism Law and Anti-Cyber Crime Law, according to a court document received by Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) and verified by Saudi sources, said DAWN.

The Specialized Criminal Court has jurisdiction over terrorism and security-related cases through an overly broad and vague Counter-Terrorism Law. Human rights organizations and UN bodies have repeatedly criticized the Counterterrorism Law and the Anti-Cyber Crime Law for allowing the government to repress Saudi citizens and undermine human rights. Both laws are purposely vague to give Saudi authorities maximum discretion with little to no accountability for overreach. Article 6 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law prohibits the "production, preparation, transmission, or storage of material impinging on public order, religious values, public morals, or privacy, through an information network or computer." Similarly, Article 1(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law defines the crime of terrorism to include acts that "disturb public order" and "endanger national unity." The Counter-Terrorism Law excludes guaranteed protections found within Saudi Arabia's 2013 Law of Criminal Procedure. The Law of Criminal Procedure limits pretrial detention to six months, while the Counter-Terrorism Law allows for indefinite pretrial detention at the discretion of the prosecutor