Saudi PhD student sentenced to 34 years in prison for following and retweeting activists

• A student from Saudi Arabia was sentenced to 34 years in prison for following and sharing dissidents.

• She was accused of helping people who wanted to harm national security.

• This is the longest sentence for an activist, according to rights groups.

According to The Guardian, a PhD student in Saudi Arabia was sentenced to 34 years in prison for following dissidents and activists on social media.

When she returned to Saudi Arabia for a vacation in December 2020, she was questioned by authorities, arrested, and put on trial, according to The Guardian.

The Guardian reported that Al-Shehab was sentenced to three years for causing public unrest and destabilizing civil and national security.

According to the report, she was sentenced to more time by an appeals court over her use of the social media platform.

She was sentenced to 34 years in prison and a travel ban.

The Washington Post and European Saudi Organization for Human Rights reported the sentence.

According to court documents seen by The Guardian, al-Shehab was accused of helping people cause public unrest and destabilizing civil and national security by following their social media accounts.

She had encouraged Saudi dissidents to call for the release of political prisoners. According to The Post, she advocated for women's right to drive, a policy that the Saudi crown prince allowed in 2018).

al-Shehab did not have a large online following and was not known for being an activist.

She might be able to appeal.

Al-Shehab's case was not commented on by the social media company. According to The Guardian, Saudi Arabia's government holds an investment in the social networking site.

The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights and Freedom Initiative said that the longest prison sentence given to an activist was that of al-Shehab.

Many people are arrested in Saudi Arabia for speaking out against the government after making public criticisms.

Dozens of people were arrested when Mohammed bin Saudi became crown prince. The kingdom's defacto ruler is him.

Sources close to the royal family told the AP in 2020 that two senior Saudis were arrested for not supporting them. Many high-profile political figures have been imprisoned by MBS because he considered them to be a threat to his rule.

Business Insider has an article on it.