Saudi Activist Student Salma al-Shehab Released After Long Sentence

Salma al-Shehab, a 36-year-old Saudi PhD student, has been released from prison after her sentence was reduced from 34 years for her online activism. Rights groups continue to call attention to the plight of others imprisoned for similar reasons in Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi PhD student at the University of Leeds, Salma al-Shehab, has been released from prison in her home country after activists revealed her sentence was progressively reduced due to her critical social media activity. The 36-year-old mother of two was arrested in 2021 while visiting Saudi Arabia and subsequently sentenced by a terrorism tribunal to six years in prison for allegedly "disturbing public order" and "destabilising the social fabric" through her online posts advocating for reforms and supporting other activists.

Initially sentenced to 34 years, Shehab contested her verdict, resulting in her sentence being reduced to 27 years before being shortened again to just four years, with an additional four years suspended. Activists have expressed concern regarding the lack of confirmation from Saudi authorities on her release, which was first reported by ALQST, a UK-based Saudi rights organization that emphasized the arbitrary nature of her imprisonment over her peaceful advocacy.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has led sweeping repressions on dissent throughout the past eight years, often handing down severe sentences for peaceful critics and activists through what rights groups label as unfair terrorism trials. Shehab, who works as a dental hygienist and serves as a medical educator, was nearing completion of her studies at the University of Leeds when she published posts in support of reform and highlighted the plight of prominent detainees, including women's rights activists caught up in governmental crackdowns in recent years.

Amnesty International’s Middle East researcher expressed that Shehab's conviction was directly linked to her tweets supporting women’s rights, urging a broader reflection on the ongoing injustices faced by others similarly imprisoned for online activism in Saudi Arabia. Among others, activists like Manahel al-Otaibi and Nourah al-Qahtani are also serving considerable sentences for standing up for women's rights, while Abdulrahman al-Sadhan faces 20 years for mocking tweets. As calls for freedom and justice persist, both Shehab's release and the ongoing plight of others raise critical issues surrounding human rights in Saudi Arabia.