Activists have applauded the release from prison of a Saudi student who was sentenced to 34 years in prison for tweets in support of women,
Salma al-Shehab, 36, has reportedly been released from prison in Saudi Arabia and reunited with her two young children, whom she has not seen for four years. After being released, Salma learned that her husband had divorced her, but she was not informed.
Salma, who was a dentistry student and PhD candidate at Leeds University, was arrested while on holiday in Saudi Arabia in January 2021. Activists say she was held in solitary confinement for more than nine months before appearing in court.
She was initially sentenced to three years in prison for the “crime” of using a website to “cause public disorder and disrupt civil and national security.” She was later sentenced to 34 years for other alleged crimes, such as “collaborating with those who want to cause public disorder.”
Amnesty International said her "crime" was no more than "tweeting in support of women's rights."
Source: Guardian
