It’s time to take a stand against state sanctioned abuse of women.  

A Saudi PhD student at the University of Leeds, Salma al-Shehab, who had returned home to the kingdom for a holiday, was sentenced to 34 years in prison in August 2022 for having a Twitter account and for following and retweeting dissidents and activists.  By ‘dissidents and activists’ we mean advocates for women to be allowed to drive, and political prisoners. In a farcical turn of events in Saudi Arabia’s Specialised Criminal Court (SCC),  Salma al-Shehab was resentenced on 25 January 2023 to 27 years in prison.

35 NGOs condemned Shehab’s sentence in an open letter, stating that ' in contrast to the authorities' rhetoric on human rights, including women’s rights and legal reforms, the real drivers of reform – the activists calling for basic rights – continue to be ruthlessly targeted and silenced, with repressive laws being used to criminalise their peaceful expression and activism.' 

The NGOs call on the international community to press Saudi Arabian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Salma al-Shehab.

Additionally, 400 academics called on the UK to:
● secure access to independent prison visits and trial monitoring;
● make immediate representations to their Saudi counterparts to help secure her immediate release and the quashing of her conviction; and
● issue a public statement condemning the Saudi authorities’ imprisonment and sentencing of Salma al-Shehab

Salma needs to be returned home to her 4 and 6 year-old sons, and her education in the UK.

#FreeSalma NOW!