Saudi woman jailed for 45 years over social media use
- Human rights group denounces ‘outrageously long’ prison sentence for Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani
- Conviction came a few weeks after another woman was sentenced to 35 years in jail over her Twitter use
A Saudi court has sentenced a woman to 45 years in prison for allegedly damaging the country through her social media activity, according to a court document obtained Wednesday.
It was the second such sentence that has drawn scrutiny of the kingdom this month.
Little is known about Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani, who hails from one of the biggest tribes in Saudi Arabia and has no apparent history of activism.
An official charge sheet seen by Associated Press and human rights groups describes her case as involving her social media use, though Saudi officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this month, a specialised criminal court delivered the 45-year sentence under the kingdom’s broad counterterrorism and cybercrime laws. That court, which normally handles political and national security cases, gave the sentence during al-Qahtani’s appeal of her earlier conviction.
