Saudi court sentences woman student for using Twitter; causing 'public unrest'
Salma al-Shehab was doing her PhD at Leeds University in UK
A Saudi woman studying inLeeds University in the UK has been sentenced to 34 years in prison by the country'scourt for using Twitter and allegedly retweeting tweets from dissidents.
Salma al-Shehab, 34, a PhD student, has been accused of causing "public unrest" and "destabilisingcivil and national security". Salma was initially given a three years' prison sentence but it was then increased to 34 years, including a 34-year travel ban.
The woman had returned to Saudi Arabia for a holiday and faced the sentencehanded down by a special terrorist court. Reports claim she is a dental hygienist and PhD student at Leeds University. She is also a lecturer at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University. Salma is married and has two sons.
Her case attracted a lotof interest on Twitter as people called for her release.
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The development comes just days after US President Joe Biden metSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to reports, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) controls a major stake in Twitter.
Last week, a US court had found an ex-Twitter employee guilty of spying for Saudi officials. Ahmad Abouammo reportedly sold Twitter user information for cash. Abouammo reportedly supplied information on posts critical of the Saudi regime. Abouammo had quit Twitter in 2015. The jury found Abouammo guilty of six charges against him.
Reports claim Salma al-Shehabcan appeal her sentence. Her Twitter profile reportedly has just 2,597 followers.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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