Saudi doctorate at the University of Leeds was released from Saudi Arabia prison after her punishment for critical activities on social networks was reduced, activists said.
Salma al-Shahab, a 36-year-old mother of two, was arrested in 2021 while she was on vacation in the Bay Kingdom.
Later, she was closed for six years by Tribunal of terrorism because of the alleged “disturbing public order” and “destabilization of social tissue” because of the posts calling for reforms and the release of activists.
The sentence was increased to 34 years before it was twice reduced to appeal – first to 27 years and then for four years and an additional four years suspended. Saudi authorities were not current confirmation.
Shehab’s release was first reported by Alqst, Saudi’s Saudi Group based in the UK, who said it was exposed to “four years of prison on the basis of its peaceful activism.”
“She must now be granted full of freedom, including the right of travel to complete her studies at Leeds University,” she adds.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, has supervised a wide suppression of disagreement in the last eight years, with peaceful critics on social media who shared a prison sentence or even death after trial of terrorist courts that the groups for rights are right to the right terrorism that are groups for the rights of terrorism to say they are unjust.
Shehab, a dental hygiene and medical caregiver who was in the last year of her studies at the University of Leeds School of Medicine, published or published several messages calling for reforms and publication of reputable activists, priests and other intellectuals before traveling to the Kingdom five years ago.
One post was praised as “prisoners of conscience” groups of leading activists for women’s rights who were detained just before the ban on women’s driving was abolished in 2018 and were later convicted of crimes against the state.
Dana Ahnesty International, Dana Ahmed, said Shehab was convicted of charges of terrorism “just because she was in support of women’s rights and retwet the activists of Saudi women’s rights.”
“Although today is a day to celebrate Salma’s release, it is also an opportunity to think about many others who serve similar long -lasting sentences in Saudi Arabia for their network activities,” she added.
“This includes other women like Manahel Al-Otaibi and Nourah al-Qahtani, closed because of the speech for women’s rights, and Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, closed for 20 years for satirical tweets.”
The BBC contacted the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the University of Leeds for comment.
