The brutal Saudi regime has been condemned for imposing a “cruel and unlawful” 34-year jail term on a UK student for her use of Twitter.
Salma al-Shehab, 34, mother of two sons, aged four and six, was studying for a PhD at the University of Leeds when she was arrested in 2021 on a visit home to Saudi Arabia to see her family.
Before the trip, she had re-tweeted content questioning the Saudi regime under crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
She was charged with following and retweeting dissidents and sentenced to three years in jail.
After that was increased to 34 years, Salma said the judgment was tantamount to the “destruction of me, my family, my future, and the future of my children”.
The University of Leeds said: “We’re deeply concerned to learn of this recent development in Salma’s case. We’re seeking advice on whether there is anything we can do to support her.”
Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn said: “It’s absolutely shocking and it shows the claims of the Saudi authorities that they’re trying to modernise and give greater freedoms to women are not true.”
Amnesty International said Salma’s trial was “grossly unfair” and her sentence “cruel and unlawful”. The Saudis have been accused of “sport washing” its reputation by investing in high-profile events, including tonight’s boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk.
The Saudis paid £65million to host the bout in Jeddah.
And there was fury when Premier League club Newcastle was bought by a group led by Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund last year.
The Freedom Initiative said Salma, who also worked as a dental hygienist and medical educator, was a member of Saudi Arabia’s Shiite Muslim minority, which had complained of systematic discrimination in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.
Bethany al-Haidari, the group’s Saudi case manager, said the “abhorrent” sentence showed that the persecution of women in Saudi was “getting worse”.
The Saudi government and its London embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
