The woman human rights defender was released along with several people, including social media influencers, imprisoned for their online free expression.
This statement was originally published on gc4hr.org on 18 February 2025.
Last week, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) learned that hundreds of people were recently released from prison in Saudi Arabia after completing part of their lengthy sentences. The release was announced by some accounts following the status of some of the prominent prisoners of conscience, declaring that hundreds of imprisoned individuals were released.
On 10 February 2025, woman human rights defender Salma Al-Shehab, a Leeds University PhD student, was among those who were released after spending four years in prison, for posts on X where she showed solidarity and support for women’s rights and for women who were imprisoned because of demanding more rights. On 25 September 2024, her sentence was reportedly reduced on appeal from 27 years to four years in prison prior to her release. GCHR welcomes the news of her release and the release of others who were solely imprisoned for posts expressing their opinions without any violent acts.
In addition, several notable individuals were released. Abdulaziz Al-Oudah, a social media influencer, was released after spending several years in prison since September 2019. His original sentence was for five years, but he was kept in prison afterwards without charges until his recent release.
Likewise, Mansour Al-Ruqaiba, another popular social media influencer, was released after spending two years of his 18-year sentence in prison. Al-Ruqaiba talked about his ordeal and how he was punished for privately expressing his opinions and getting blackmailed by one of his guests.
Asaad Nasser Al-Ghamdi, one of the two brothers of the prominent political opponent Dr. Saeed Nasser Al-Ghamdi, has also been released after serving part of his 15-year prison sentence handed down in May 2024. He was charged based on posts on X in which he expressed his condolences for the death of the prominent human rights defender, Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamed, in prison, among other posts.
Another woman human rights defender, Sakeena Al-Othman, was released two years after her arrest and after being sentenced for 40 years for posts in support of women’s rights.
Some other writers were also released, including Abdullah Al-Dawood and Thaker Al-Hubail.
Recommendations:
GCHR welcomes the release of prisoners of conscience in Saudi Arabia and calls on the Saudi authorities to:
- Continue to release and end the lengthy imprisonment and travel bans against many other prisoners of conscience, such as Dr. Salman Al-Oudah, Abdurahman Al-Sadhan, and many more who remain imprisoned;
- End the practice of legal harassment, including travel bans, against people for expressing their views or posting their views online, and ensure all guarantees of freedom of expression; and
- Uphold and join the international laws and treaties that protect people’s rights to belief and freedom of expression and assembly.
