Campaigners have welcomed the release of a Saudi PhD student at Leeds University, who was sentenced to 34 years in prison for posting tweets in support of women’s rights.
It is believed that 36 -year -old Salma al -Shahab has quit in Saudi Arabia where he was kept and has been re -attached to his two young children.
“This is a surprising news,” said Lena Althalol. Head of Surveillance and Advocacy in the Saudi Rights Group based in Europe Alqst. “He did not see his children during his four years of imprisonment.”
Al -Shahab was arrested during a holiday in Saudi Arabia in January 2021. Campaigners say they were kept in isolation for more than nine months before they were brought before Saudi Arabia’s Special Criminal Court (SCC).
He was initially sentenced to three years in prison for the use of an Internet website for “public unrest and destabilizing civil and national security”.
An appeal court later sentenced the new sentence to 34 years after 34 years imprisonment-when a government lawyer asked the court to consider other alleged crimes.
Additional allegations also included allegations that Al -Shahab was “helping people who are trying to create public unrest and destabilize civil and national security” and retrieve their tweets.
Amnesty International said his “crime” is not other than “posting tweets in support of women’s rights”.
The last March More than 300 academics, students and employees signed an open letter at Leeds University. Demanding the immediate release of Al -Shahab. It was said that he was jailed on the basis of “peaceful tweets”.
Al -Halwal said that Al -Shahab had a severe time in jail. “It has been difficult for him,” he said. “Don’t see her children, do not know if she can complete the PhD or not. In fact, she was sentenced to six years, then it was increased to 34 years and then reduced it to 27 years. And then it has been a nightmare.
“He is very strong. Salma is a very brave woman. She went on a hunger strike to complain about the situation.
In June 2023, the United Nations Working Group for discretionary concentration (UNWGAD) He declared his detention as discretion and demanded immediate release.
Al -Ahl said that Al -Shahab was not exempt from it. “That is a sample symbol. He was released due to this pressure but many others are still in jail for the same charges.
Al -Ahul said that the war was now to end Al -Shahab’s travel ban so that he could return to Leeds where he is a dentist.
“He has a PhD to pursue it. He is one of the most wonderful people in his field.
Al -Hulwal, whose sister was imprisoned for running an election campaign for women’s rights, said her own family in Saudi Arabia was subjected to a travel ban and it was “ensuring that everyone was constantly fearful. I can’t really understand how much weighing on this journey is a permanent risk.
Al -Halul said at some point when Al -Shabab was in jail, her husband divorced her. “We do not know all the circumstances around him, but it seems that this is a model … women who are divorced against them have not been informed.
“That means he is being released in a very tragic situation, but it is better than being in prison for 34 years.”
Amnesty International’s Middle East researcher, Dana Ahmed, said that Al -Shahab was in jail “just because he tweeted in support of women’s rights and retweeted by Saudi women’s rights activists.”
Saudi Arabia did not immediately recognize its release. The Saudi embassy in London has been contacted.
The Foreign Office said it was monitoring the situation and “will continue to increase freedom of expression and human rights issues all over the world”.
Al -Shahab is a member of Saudi Arabia’s Shiite Muslim minority, who has long complained of discrimination in Sunni -rolled kingdom.
