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world news Diabierna 19 augustus 2022

Saudi doctoral student gets 34 years in prison for tweets

(AP) — A Saudi court has sen- Haidari, the group's Saudi case man-
tenced a doctoral student to 34 ager.
years in prison for spreading "ru-
mors" and retweeting dissidents, Leading human rights watchdog
according to court documents Amnesty International on Thursday
obtained Thursday, a decision slammed al-Shehab's trial as "grossly
that has drawn growing global unfair" and her sentence as "cruel and
condemnation. unlawful."

Activists and lawyers consider the Since rising to power in 2017, Prince
sentence against Salma al-Shehab, Mohammed has accelerated efforts
a mother of two and a researcher at to diversify the kingdom's economy
Leeds University in Britain, shocking away from oil with massive tour-
even by Saudi standards of justice. ism projects — most recently plans
to create the world's longest build-
So far unacknowledged by the king- ings that would stretch for more than
dom, the ruling comes amid Crown 100 miles in the desert. But he has
Prince Mohammed bin Salman's also faced criticism over his arrests of
crackdown on dissent even as his rule those who fail to fall in line, includ-
granted women the right to drive and ing dissidents and activists but also
other new freedoms in the ultracon- princes and businessmen. her peaceful activism in solidarity w/
servative Islamic nation. The Saudi government in Riyadh, as political prisoners," as well as for her
Judges accused al-Shehab of "disturb- well as its embassies in Washington Shiite identity.
Al-Shehab was detained during a ing public order" and "destabilizing and London, did not respond to a re-
family vacation on Jan. 15, 2021, just the social fabric" — claims stemming quest for comment. Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden
days before she planned to return to solely from her social media activity, traveled to the oil-rich kingdom and
the United Kingdom, according to according to an official charge sheet. Leeds University confirmed that al- held talks with Prince Mohammed
the Freedom Initiative, a Washing- They alleged al-Shehab followed and Shehab was in her final year of doc- in which he said he raised human
ton-based human rights group. retweeted dissident accounts on Twit- toral studies at the medical school. rights concerns. Their meeting —
ter and "transmitted false rumors." and much-criticized fist-bump —
Al-Shehab told judges she had been "We are deeply concerned to learn of marked a sharp turn-around from
held for over 285 days in solitary con- The specialized criminal court hand- this recent development in Salma's Biden's earlier vow to make the king-
finement before her case was even re- ed down the unusually harsh 34-year case and we are seeking advice on dom a "pariah" over the 2018 killing
ferred to court, the legal documents sentence under Saudi counterterror- whether there is anything we can do of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
obtained by The Associated Press ism and cybercrime laws, to be fol- to support her," the university said.
show. lowed by a 34-year travel ban. The Al-Shehab's sentencing also drew the During her appeal, al-Shehab said the
The Freedom Initiative describes al- decision came earlier this month as attention of Washington, where the harsh judgement was tantamount to
Shehab as a member of Saudi Arabia's al-Shehab appealed her initial sen- State Department said Wednesday it the "destruction of me, my family,
Shiite Muslim minority, which has tence of six years. was "studying the case." my future, and the future of my chil-
long complained of systematic dis- dren." She has two young boys, aged
crimination in the Sunni-ruled king- "The (six-year) prison sentence im- "Exercising freedom of expression 4 and 6.
dom. posed on the defendant was minor in to advocate for the rights of women
view of her crimes," a state prosecu- should not be criminalized, it should She told judges she had no idea that
"Saudi Arabia has boasted to the tor told the appeals court. "I'm call- never be criminalized," State Depart- simply retweeting posts "out of cu-
world that they are improving wom- ing to amend the sentence in light of ment spokesperson Ned Price said. riosity and to observe others' view-
en's rights and creating legal reform, her support for those who are trying The U.S. Commission on Interna- points," from a personal account with
but there is no question with this ab- to cause disorder and destabilize so- tional Religious Freedom expressed no more than 2,000 followers, consti-
horrent sentence that the situation is ciety, as shown by her following and concern on Twitter Thursday that tuted terrorism.
only getting worse," said Bethany al- retweeting (Twitter) accounts." the kingdom targeted al-Shehab "for

Hong Kong political activists plead guilty amid crackdown

(AP) — Authorities in to further silence opposi- nist Party. Among those making guilty
Hong Kong say 29 out of tion voices in the regional pleas were well-known polit- About 2,000 Hong Kong resi-
47 pro-democracy activ- financial hub. The pleas were entered ear- ical activists including Joshua dents have been detained and
ists charged with "conspir- lier but only announced Wong and Benny Tai, Hong the main opposition Apple
acy to commit subversion" The proceedings came amid Thursday after a reporting Kong media said. They re- Daily newspaper shut down
under a tough National a sweeping campaign against ban was lifted. Hearings are main in jail pending sentenc- since 2019 pro-democracy
Security Law have entered those speaking out against due to start in September, ing. protests. More have been ar-
guilty pleas in court, as the demands for absolute loyalty with the defendants facing rested over ensuing actions,
Beijing government seeks to China's ruling Commu- possible life sentences. Hong Kong was handed over including 90-year-old Cath-
from British to Chinese rule olic Cardinal Joseph Zen,
The 47 democracy activists, in 1997 with a pledge that it while political speech and
aged 23 to 64, were charged would retain its own legal, public gatherings have been
with conspiracy to commit economic and social systems frozen by uncertainty about
subversion under the Bei- for 50 years. where the authorities' red
jing-imposed National Se- lines are set.
curity Law and detained last Despite the steady deterio-
year over their involvement ration of those special rights China responded to the pro-
in an unofficial primary elec- promised to the territory un- tests by imposing the sweep-
tion in 2020 that authorities der a "one country, two sys- ing National Security Law,
said was a plot to paralyze tems" framework, it retains rounding up opposition fig-
Hong Kong's government. the system of British com- ures in the media and civil
The primary showed strong mon law, independent from society, and reorganizing the
support for candidates will- Communist Party dictates local legislative council to en-
ing to challenge the Beijing- that determine legal out- sure only pro-Beijing figures
backed local government. comes on the mainland. can hold office.