Saudi PhD student freed after being jailed over posts, activists say

Leeds University student Salma al-Shehab was jailed over social media posts critical of Saudi Arabia.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersSaudi PhD student freed after being jailed over posts, activists say20 hours agoDavid GrittenBBC NewsGetty ImagesSaudi authorities have cracked down on peaceful online dissent in recent yearsA Saudi PhD student at the University of Leeds has been released from prison in Saudi Arabia after her sentence over critical social media activity was reduced, activists have said.

Salma al-Shehab, a 36-year-old mother of two, was arrested in 2021 while on holiday in the Gulf kingdom.

She was later jailed by a terrorism tribunal for six years over allegedly "disturbing public order" and "destabilising the social fabric" over posts calling for reforms and activists' release.

The sentence was increased to 34 years before being reduced twice on appeal - first to 27 years and then to four years with an additional four years suspended. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities.

Shehab's release was first reported by ALQST, a UK-based Saudi rights group, which said she had been subjected to "four years of arbitrary imprisonment on the basis of her peaceful activism".

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0k5mezn62po

---