He was sentenced to death for peacefully criticizing the government on social media. This is happening in Saudi Arabia, where in July Mohammed al-Ghamdi, accused of conspiring against the Saudi leadership, undermining state institutions and promoting the ideology of terrorism, was handed the heaviest sentence by the Criminal Court, established in 2008 to try terrorism cases. Human Rights Watch said a Saudi court sentenced the 54-year-old retired teacher based solely on her Twitter and YouTube activities.
Sentence
The prosecutor called for maximum punishment for all charges against Ghamdi for committing crimes “targeting the status of the king and crown prince”, arguing that “the enormity of his actions is further increased by the fact that he has been verified through a security investigation”. Global media platform with severe punishment.”
According to the human rights activists who followed the story, the Mohammed al-Ghamdi case highlights intense crackdown on criticism posted on social media either through peaceful posts or accounts with a small number of followers. X, Mohammed al-Ghamdi’s former Twitter, had only 5 tweets and 9 followers, but included many retweets of prominent figures critical of the Saudi government. Al-Ghamdi does not consider himself a political or human rights activist; He claims to be an ordinary citizen on Platform X who has expressed some concerns about the Saudi government.
What happened
Saudi security forces arrested al-Ghamdi outside his home on June 11, 2022, in front of his wife and children. They took him to al-Dhahban prison north of Jeddah, where he was kept in solitary confinement for four months. His family couldn’t contact him, Mohammed al-Ghamdi didn’t even get a chance to take medicine and talk to a lawyer to heal himself; he obtained this privilege only one year after he was imprisoned. He is currently in another prison in Riyadh.
Saeed al-Ghamdi, brother of the death row inmate, a prominent Saudi Islamic scholar and government critic living in exile in the UK, claims that the case against Mohammed is at least partially fabricated and “fits the purpose of the wrong sentence”. holding a grudge against me personally after the investigation’s failed attempts to bring me back to the country”. According to Human Rights Watch, Saudi authorities are increasingly retaliating against relatives of critics and dissidents abroad in an effort to force them to return to the country. Researcher at Human Rights Watch “While a simple critical tweet can lead to the death penalty, it’s hard to understand how meaningful the Saudi leadership’s promises to be a more rights-respecting society are,” said Loey Shea.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
