A Saudi court sentenced a retired teacher to 30 years in jail for criticising the government on social media, less than two months after his death sentence was overturned, his brother said on Tuesday.

A Saudi court sentenced a retired teacher to 30 years in jail for criticising the government on social media, less than two months after his death sentence was overturned, his brother said on Tuesday. The death sentence against Mohammed al-Ghamdi highlighted what critics describe as heightened repression under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Gulf kingdom's de facto ruler. Prince Mohammed addressed the case in an interview with Fox News that aired in September 2023, saying the government was "ashamed" over it and expressing hope the outcome could be changed. Ghamdi's death sentence was overturned on appeal in August. But the appeals court sentenced him to 30 years imprisonment on the same charges, his brother Saeed al-Ghamdi, an Islamic scholar who lives in Britain, told AFP. Mohammed al-Ghamdi had been sentenced to death in July 2023 by the Specialised Criminal Court, which was set up in 2008 to deal with terrorism-related cases. The former teacher, who is in his 50s, was arrested in June 2022. Also read: X reveals first transparency report under Musk; 5 million accounts axed in 2024 The case against him was at least partly built on posts criticising the government and expressing support for "prisoners of conscience" like the jailed religious clerics Salman al-Awda and Awad al-Qarni, his brother has previously said. His account on social media platform X had only nine followers, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights said when his legal troubles came to light last year. The charges he faced included conspiracy against the Saudi leadership, undermining state institutions and supporting terrorist ideology, sources briefed on the details said at the time. "This about-face in judgements testifies to the dramatic state of the kingdom's politicised judicial system," Saeed al-Ghamdi said on X. "My brother is not guilty to be arrested and tried in this way," he added. The Saudi authorities could not immediately be reached for comment. Human Rights Watch and Saeed al-Ghamdi reported last month that another brother, 47-year-old Asaad al-Ghamdi, had been sentenced to 20 years over critical social media posts. There was no word on Tuesday on whether judges would also review Asaad al-Ghamdi's sentence. Under Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia has been pursuing an ambitious reform agenda known as Vision 2030 intended to transform the formerly closed-off kingdom into a global tourism and business destination. However, Saudi authorities continue to take heat for the country's rights record and restrictions on free speech in particular. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for the WION audience.

Saudi man escapes death penalty, gets 30 years’ jail sentence for criticising government on social media

Saudi Arabia has reportedly sentenced to death Mohammed al-Ghamdi, a government critic, for denouncing alleged corruption and human rights abuses via his social media posts.

The judgement was handed down by the nation's Specialised Criminal Court in July — the court that handles terrorism cases in the country.

<h2>X and other social media</h2>

Talking to AFP on Monday, al-Ghamdi's brother and other sources familiar with the case said that the case against the government critic was at least partially built on his posts on X, formerly Twitter, where he criticised the government and expressed support for "prisoners of conscience" or jailed religious clerics like Salman al-Awda and Awad al-Qarni.

His X account, as per the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, had only nine followers.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/swedish-russian-national-accused-of-espionage-supplying-western-tech-to-moscow-629978">Swedish-Russian national accused of espionage, supplying western tech to Moscow</a>

"How can the world believe the country is reforming when a citizen is going to have his head cut off over tweets on an anonymous account with less than 10 followers?" questioned Lina al-Hathloul, head of monitoring and communication for the rights group ALQST.

"Saudi courts are escalating their repression and unveiling publicly their empty promises of reform," said al-Hathloul.

<h2>Charges against him</h2>

The charges against Mohammed al-Ghamdi as per AFP include conspiracy against the Saudi leadership, undermining state institutions, and supporting terrorist ideology.&nbsp;

Mohammed's brother Saeed al-Ghamdi, who is a prominent religious scholar, said that the country's political climate "is polluted with repression, terror, and political arrests just for expressing an opinion, even with tweets or liking tweets criticising the situation."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/raids-executions-as-saudi-arabia-wages-war-on-drugs-606972">Saudi Arabia launches crackdown on drugs with raids, executions</a>

The case has led to human rights activists pointing out Saudi Arabia's intensifying crackdown on criticism published on social media, even on accounts with few followers.

Saudi frequently faces condemnation for its human rights record and the prolific&nbsp;use of the death penalty. Last year, as per an AFP tally, the nation executed 147 people. This year, so far, there have been 94 executions.

Despite Saudi Arabia's attempts at reform under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 agenda, concerns over the nation's human rights practices and stifling of dissent persist. Vision 2030 agenda is aimed at transforming the Kingdom into a global business and tourism destination.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly sentenced to death Mohammed al-Ghamdi, a government critic, for denouncing alleged corruption and human rights abuses via his social media posts.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly sentenced to death Mohammed al-Ghamdi, a government critic, for denouncing alleged corruption and human rights abuses via his social media posts. The judgement was handed down by the nation's Specialised Criminal Court in July — the court that handles terrorism cases in the country. X and other social media Talking to AFP on Monday, al-Ghamdi's brother and other sources familiar with the case said that the case against the government critic was at least partially built on his posts on X, formerly Twitter, where he criticised the government and expressed support for "prisoners of conscience" or jailed religious clerics like Salman al-Awda and Awad al-Qarni. His X account, as per the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, had only nine followers. Also read | Swedish-Russian national accused of espionage, supplying western tech to Moscow "How can the world believe the country is reforming when a citizen is going to have his head cut off over tweets on an anonymous account with less than 10 followers?" questioned Lina al-Hathloul, head of monitoring and communication for the rights group ALQST. "Saudi courts are escalating their repression and unveiling publicly their empty promises of reform," said al-Hathloul. Charges against him The charges against Mohammed al-Ghamdi as per AFP include conspiracy against the Saudi leadership, undermining state institutions, and supporting terrorist ideology. Mohammed's brother Saeed al-Ghamdi, who is a prominent religious scholar, said that the country's political climate "is polluted with repression, terror, and political arrests just for expressing an opinion, even with tweets or liking tweets criticising the situation." Also read | Saudi Arabia launches crackdown on drugs with raids, executions The case has led to human rights activists pointing out Saudi Arabia's intensifying crackdown on criticism published on social media, even on accounts with few followers. Saudi frequently faces condemnation for its human rights record and the prolific use of the death penalty. Last year, as per an AFP tally, the nation executed 147 people. This year, so far, there have been 94 executions. Despite Saudi Arabia's attempts at reform under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 agenda, concerns over the nation's human rights practices and stifling of dissent persist. Vision 2030 agenda is aimed at transforming the Kingdom into a global business and tourism destination.

Saudi Arabia to execute man for criticising government on X account with only nine followers

mohammed-al-ghamdi

Mohammed Al Ghamdi, News on Mohammed Al Ghamdi, stories on Mohammed Al Ghamdi, articles on Mohammed Al Ghamdi, Mohammed Al Ghamdi stories at Wion, Mohammed Al Ghamdi news, Mohammed Al Ghamdi latest news

mohammed al-ghamdi

Saudi man escapes death penalty, gets 30 years’ jail sentence for criticising government on social media

Saudi Arabia to execute man for criticising government on X account with only nine followers