MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st August, 2022) A court in Saudi Arabia sentenced female activist Nourah al-Qahtani to 45 years in prison for publications on social media, Saudi human rights watchdog said on Tuesday.
This is the second such case in a few weeks, when Saudi activist is sentenced to such a long prison term, according to the human rights organization ALQST.
"ALQST is gravely concerned about the 45-year prison term, based on tweets, handed down by the Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal to Nourah al-Qahtani. As feared, we are witnessing an alarming deterioration of the human rights situation in #SaudiArabia," the organization said on Twitter.
Al-Qahtani was convicted under the law on combating terrorism and cyber crime. The Saudi authorities are yet to comment on ALQST's information.
In August, the Saudi Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal sentenced female rights activist Salma Al-Shehab to 34 years in prison based on tweets in support of women's rights and calling for respect of basic rights.
Saudi human rights activists have repeatedly accused the country's leadership of political repression and reprisals against dissidents after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came to power. Rights activists, in particular, accuse Saudi Crown Prince of ordering the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
