Saudis sentence woman to 45 years for online posts, rights group says

A Saudi woman has been jailed for 45 years for her social media posts, a rights group says citing court documents, marking the second such case in weeks.

Nourah al-Qahtani received the heavy sentence on appeal after she was convicted of “using the internet to tear the (country’s) social fabric” and “violating public order” via social media, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) says.

She was convicted under the kingdom’s Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Cyber Crime Law, DAWN adds.

Few details are available about Qahtani, who does not appear to have an active Twitter account. She was arrested in July 2021 and convicted by the Specialised Criminal Court, DAWN says, adding that her appeal was earlier this month.

“Only weeks after this month’s shocking 34-year sentence of Salma al-Shehab, Qahtani’s 45-year sentence… shows how emboldened Saudi authorities feel to punish even the mildest criticism from its citizens,” says Abdullah Alaoudh, DAWN’s director of research for the Gulf region.

There is no immediate comment from the Saudi authorities.