The UN called on Friday August 19 for the immediate and unconditional release of a Saudi student sentenced to 34 years in prison for tweets critical of the government, saying it was "
appalled
" by this sentence.
"
We are appalled by the conviction of Saudi doctoral student Salma al-Shehab (...) in connection with a series of tweets and retweets on political and human rights issues in Saudi Arabia
," said a spokeswoman for the office. of Human Rights, Liz Throssell.
“
She should never have been arrested and charged for such behavior
,” she added in a statement.
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A Saudi appeals court sentenced Salma al-Shehab to 34 years in prison, along with a ban on leaving her country for a similar period after her release from detention, according to a judgment handed down on August 9 and including the AFP was able to view a copy this week.
The Saudi court convicted her
of "providing assistance
", via her tweets, to political opponents who seek to "
disturb public order
", according to the court document.
"
We urge the Saudi authorities to overturn her conviction and release her immediately and unconditionally
," said Liz Throssell.
Worried about this "
extraordinarily long sentence
", the spokesperson expressed concern about the "
chilling
" effects it could have on "
critics of the government and on civil society in general
".
The conviction, she noted, "
is yet another example of Saudi authorities using the country's anti-terrorism and anti-cybercrime laws to target human rights defenders and people who express dissenting views, intimidate them and exercise reprisals against them
.
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In addition to the release of Salma al-Chehab, the UN human rights office calls on the Saudi authorities to review all convictions relating to freedom of expression of human rights defenders.
This includes, the statement said, “
women who have been imprisoned after legitimately demanding reform of discriminatory policies, as well as religious leaders and journalists
.”
