A woman from Saudi recently jailed for 45 years was charged for using Twitter “to challenge the religion and justice” of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, AFP reported quoting the court document.
Nourah al-Qahtani, a mother of five, was sentenced to jail light last week for Twitter posts found to be malicious by the Saudi authorities. This harsh punishment drew swift condemnation from the West, which highlighted the poor human rights records of the kingdom.
The court document further states that Qahtani, who is in her late 40s, incited “the activities of those who seek to disturb public order and destabilise the security of society and the stability of the state” by publishing false and malicious tweets”.
It further states that Qahtani also used Twitter to “insult state symbols and officials” and demand “the release of detainees pending security cases”.
The court document was provided to AFP by Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a Washington-based rights group founded by slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
It says that Qahtani’s account showcases many posts criticising the government, with its banner picture containing a hashtag calling for an anti-government protest coinciding with last year’s hajj pilgrimage.
Also read | Another woman sentenced to 45-year jail term in Saudi Arabia for using Twitter
Her account has reportedly also retweeted posts warning of attempts to arrest those behind public protests, which are not tolerated in Saudi Arabia.
Her account last posted in July 2021, the same month Qahtani was taken into custody.
In February, she was earlier sentenced to six and a half years in prison, followed by a travel ban for the same amount of time.
The court then handed out a 45-year term after the prosecution appealed for a harsher sentence.
(With inputs from agencies)
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