The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Saudi Arabia to release the human rights defender Salma Al-Shehab, and to review all sentences resulting from freedom of expression against human rights defenders, including women who have been imprisoned after legitimately demanding reform of discriminatory policies, as well as against religious leaders and journalists.
The Commission also considered that the Saudi government should establish a strong legislative framework in line with international human rights law to support the right to freedom of expression and association, and the right to peaceful assembly for all.
In a statement published on August 19, 2022, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Liz Throssell expressed her “dismay” at the sentencing of doctoral student Salma Al-Shehab to 34 years in prison and a 34-year travel ban. The statement considered that Al-Shehab’s arrest comes against the background of a series of tweets about politics and human rights cases in Saudi Arabia.
The Commission urged Saudi Arabia to rescind its conviction and release Al-Shehab immediately and unconditionally, stressing that she should not have been arrested and charged in the first place.
The Commission considered that the lengthy sentence against Al-Shehab is in addition to what critics of the Saudi government and civil society face in general, and considered that the ruling is another example of the Saudi government using anti-terrorism and cybercrime laws to target, intimidate and retaliate against human rights defenders and opponents.
According to the statement, Saudi Arabia had arrested Al-Shehab in 2021 after she arrived in Saudi Arabia from the United Kingdom, where she is studying. Al-Shehab was accused of spreading false information and aiding dissidents seeking to disrupt public order with her tweets and her following on Twitter.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights welcomes the statement of the High Commissioner, and considers that the sentencing of activist Salma Al-Shehab shows the Saudi government’s insistence on ignoring all international criticism of its violations, especially with regard to the misuse of the anti-terrorism law and its financing. The organization also indicates that Saudi Arabia has arrested at least 116 women during the previous years, while the information indicates that lengthy and harsh sentences similar to that of Al-Shehab were issued recently.