Overview

• Salma al-Shehab, a Saudi PhD student and mother of two, was arrested in January 2021 for tweeting and retweeting content supporting women’s rights.
• Her initial sentence of 34 years, handed down in 2022, was later reduced to four years in prison with an additional four years suspended.
• She was charged with disturbing public order and destabilizing national security based solely on her social media activity, including following and retweeting dissident accounts.
• Her release, announced by rights group ALQST, has not been officially acknowledged by Saudi authorities, and concerns remain about potential travel restrictions or further punitive measures.
• Human rights groups continue to call for the release of others imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for online activism and advocate for greater freedom of expression in the kingdom.