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Saudi Arabia Sentences Leeds University Student to 34 Years in Prison for Using Twitter

August 24, 2022

Upon visiting Saudi Arabia on vacation, Leeds University PhD student and mother of two children, Salma al-Shehab was arrested in 2021 for allegedly re-tweeting some posts that were disliked by the government. She was initially sentenced to three years, but this past month an Appeals Court sentenced her to 34 years in prison followed by a 34-year travel ban.

August 25, 2022

King Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
King of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Riyadh, Royal Court: 11-488-2222
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Your Majesty:

The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.

This communication is in regard to Salma al-Shehab, a 34-year-old Leeds University PhD student and mother of two children between 4 and 6 years old. She also has worked as a dental hygienist, medical educator, and lecturer at Princess Nourah bin Abdulrahman University. She was arrested in 2021 for allegedly re-tweeting some posts that were disliked by the government. She was initially sentenced to three years, but this past month an Appeals Court sentenced her to 34 years in prison followed by a 34-year travel ban, effectively preventing her from raising her children and continuing her studies.

The Committee is concerned that this case is part of a recurring pattern of stifling free speech and the rights of women, which are both important parts of civil society. This pattern occurs even as several high-ranking officials in the government are allowed to use Twitter and while the Saudi government owns a significant stake in the company. The sentence is excessive for a nonviolent offense. The Committee is particularly concerned that she has been subjected to solitary confinement, which is akin to torture.

We write to urge you to ensure that al-Shehab is treated fairly and given access to her family, lawyers, and medical care. She should be allowed to privately communicate with the judge in her case. She should be allowed to appeal her sentence. Ideally, she should be allowed to return to the United Kingdom with her family to continue her studies and take care of her children.

Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. We will be closely following developments in this case.

Sincerely,
signatures
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Cc:
Antony J. Blinken
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520 USA
Phone: (202) 647-4000
Twitter: @ABlinken

Marina Strong
Charge d’Affaires
U.S. Embassy Riyadh
P.O. Box 94309
Riyadh 11693
Saudi Arabia
Phone: 00966 11-835-4000
Fax: 966-11-4887360

Waleed bin Mohammad Al-Samaani
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
University Street,
Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: +966 11 4055399 +966 11 4020311

Reema bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Ambassador
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Phone: 1 (202) 537-3100
Fax: 1 (202) 295-3625
Email: info@saudiembassy.net

Filed Under: Saudi Arabia Tagged With: Salma al-Shehab

Who We Are

Co-chairs

Joel L. Lebowitz, Rutgers University

Paul H. Plotz, M.D., Washington, DC

Walter Reich, George Washington University

Eugene Chudnovsky, Lehman College

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn College

Vice-chairs

Astronomy – Arno Penzias, New Enterprises Associates*

Biology – Max E. Gottesman, Columbia University

Chemistry – Zafra Lerman, MIMSAD Inc.

Computer Science – Rachelle Heller, The George Washington University

Computer Science – Jack Minker, University of Maryland, College Park

Engineering – Philip Sarachik, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Mathematics – Simon Levin, Princeton University

Medical Sciences – J. Joseph Blum, Duke University

Honorary Board Members

Nancy Andrews, Duke University

David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology*

Alan J. Bard, University of Texas

Jacob Bigeleisen (deceased), SUNY, Stony Brook

Raoul Bott (deceased), Harvard University

Owen Chamberlain (deceased), University of California, Berkeley

Stanley Deser, Brandeis University

Edward Gerjuoy, University of Pittsburg

David Gross, (2004 Nobel Prize in Physics), Kavil Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara*

Pierre Hohenberg (deceased), New York University

Walter Kohn (deceased), University of California, Santa Barbara*

James Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Peter Lax, New York University

Louis Nirenberg, New York University

Marshall Nirenberg (deceased), National Institutes of Health*

Honorary Board Members

John C. Polanyi, University of Toronto*

Stuart Rice, University of Chicago

Sir Richard J. Roberts, (1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine), New England Biolabs*

Myriam Sarachick, City College of New York

Harold Scheraga, Cornell University

Sylvan Schweber (deceased), Brandeis University

Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alfred I. Tauber, Boston University

Steven Weinberg, University of Texas, Austin*

Myrna Weissman, Columbia University

Rosalyn S. Yalow (deceased), Mount Sinai School of Medicine*

* Nobel laureate

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