The corrupt and murderous regime of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin "Bone Saw" Salman is well known for it's abysmal human rights record and intolerance of dissent. The 2018 murder and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on the orders of Bone Saw marked the latest low point in that record.
Now, the focus of the thin-skinned despotic ruler has shifted to ruthlessly suppressing dissent about its treatment of women. Graduate student Salma al-Shehab, a 34 year old mother of two, has received a 34 year prison sentence for tweets criticizing the regime's record on women's rights, a sentence far beyond any previously given for a similar "offense." Her sentence also includes a 34 year travel ban. Here are details:
"She was studying for a PhD in the United Kingdom, according to The Guardian newspaper, when she traveled from the city of Leeds back to Saudi Arabia in December 2020 for a vacation.
During that visit, she was detained and questioned over a number of tweets, including some in which she called for the release of Saudi prisoners of conscience like prominent women's rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul. She also called for an end to Saudi Arabia's guardianship system, which requires women to be overseen by men if they want to do virtually anything outside of their homes." [snip]
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR), which has been monitoring and reporting on al-Shehab's arrest, trial and sentencing, issued a statement about the travesty:
"'The sentence issued against Salma Al-Shehab is unprecedented and dangerous,' said ESOHR in a statement. The rights group is based in Europe and relies on contacts within the conservative Islamic kingdom, where journalists are not permitted to work freely.
'In recent years, many women activists have been subjected to unfair trials that have led to arbitrary sentences, in addition to some of them being subjected to severe torture, including sexual harassment,' ESOHR said." [snip]
According to ESOHR, she was accused of 'undermining the security of society and the stability of the state, spreading sedition, providing aid to those who seek to disrupt public order, and spreading false and malicious rumors on Twitter.'" (our emphasis)
This story comes on the heels of reports that Saudi Arabia invested $500 million in Russian oil companies between February and March, at a time when Russia was preparing its invasion of Ukraine and after most U.S. allies sanctioned the Kremlin over the invasion. The corrupt Saudis hold the oil sword over the heads of the West, while the West (i.e., the U.S.) is expected to defend them and tolerate their egregious and growing human rights abuses. Something's wrong with that picture and it needs to change.
(photo: Middle East Eye)
