Saudi Teacher Sentenced to 20 Years Imprisonment Over Social Media Posts, Human Rights Watch Reports
On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch reported that a Saudi court has sentenced 47-year-old teacher Asaad al-Ghamdi to 20 years in prison, citing charges related to his online activity. Al-Ghamdi, who is the brother of UK-based government critic Saeed bin Nasser al-Ghamdi, was convicted by Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court on May 29 for offenses tied to his "peaceful expression online," according to the organization.
Court documents reveal that al-Ghamdi was charged under multiple articles of Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism law, including publishing false and malicious news and challenging the religion of the King and Crown Prince. He was reportedly arrested on November 20, 2022, in Jeddah without being informed of the charges until his first trial on September 7, 2023. Human Rights Watch points out that this is part of a broader pattern where Saudi authorities exert pressure on the family members of overseas critics to compel their return to the country.
The prosecution presented al-Ghamdi’s posts on X (formerly Twitter) as evidence, which criticized government changes and projects associated with Vision 2030, the Crown Prince’s economic diversification plan. Some of his tweets also mourned the death of Dr. Abdallah al-Hamed, a human rights leader who died in prison after being convicted for his activism.
Human Rights Watch disclosed that al-Ghamdi’s court-appointed lawyer failed to meet him outside of court sessions and did not provide court documents. Despite his family’s requests, the lawyer did not submit evidence of al-Ghamdi’s epilepsy, a condition requiring specialized medical attention. The organization urged Saudi authorities to ensure adequate medical care for al-Ghamdi, noting he was initially taken to a general physician rather than a specialist. During his detention, he spent three months in solitary confinement and was deprived of communication for nearly two months, with his family only being allowed to visit on January 11, 2023.
Joey Shea, a Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch, criticized the ruling, stating, "Saudi courts mete out decades-long sentences to ordinary citizens for nothing more than peacefully expressing themselves online. The government should also stop punishing family members of critics living abroad. Saudi Arabia’s allies should condemn these sentences and demand that the Saudi government release the prisoners and end their repressive practices.”
This latest incident underscores ongoing concerns raised by rights organizations over the Saudi government’s crackdown on freedom of expression. Amnesty International has previously highlighted the arbitrary detentions and severe sentencing of individuals for expressing their opinions, with reports of extensive trials and even death sentences. Similar cases have been documented, including a 2023 instance where a man was sentenced to death for his social media activities.
In a related situation, UN experts on September 15, 2023, called on Saudi Arabia to revoke the death sentence of Mohammad Al Ghamdi, another brother of Asaad al-Ghamdi, for his social media dissent. Both brothers were charged under the same counterterrorism law articles. Saeed bin Nasser al-Ghamdi, speaking on his brother’s death sentence, described it as a tactic intended to coerce his return to Saudi Arabia. Human Rights Watch also called for medical attention for Mohammed Al Ghamdi, who suffers from epilepsy.
For further information, please visit Human Rights Watch’s report on their website.
Source
Human Rights Watch Website
(C) Human Rights Watch, July 2024
