
Saudi authorities have sentenced a girl of secondary school age to 18 years in prison and imposed a travel ban on her for expressing support of political prisoners online, in one of the latest examples of Riyadh’s harsh crackdown on any form of dissent. According to ALQST yesterday, a rights group which documents human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Specialised Criminal Court issued the sentence for 18-year-old Manal al-Gafiri in August. She was reportedly 17 at the time of her arrest for tweeting in support of political prisoners in the kingdom. Her sentencing is yet another example of Saudi authorities’ harsh and extreme prison sentences for citizens found guilty of ‘cybercrimes’ by expressing dissatisfaction with or criticism of […]
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