Leeds University Student Jailed in Saudi Arabia; UK Foreign Secretary Urged to Intervene
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The British foreign secretary has been urged to intervene in the “outrageous” case of a Leeds University student jailed in Saudi Arabia for 34 years over her use of Twitter.
Hilary Benn, Labour MP for Leeds Central, said the UK had a “duty” to press for the release of Salma al-Shehab, a Saudi national who had been living in Britain and was detained after returning to visit family last year.
Shehab, who has two young children, was initially jailed for three years for “causing public unrest” and “destabilizing civil and national security” after appearing to support activists and dissidents on Twitter.
But an appeals court last week handed down a new sentence – 34 years in prison followed by a 34-year travel ban – after a public prosecutor asked the court to consider other alleged crimes. She has described suffering abuse and harassment behind bars, telling a Saudi court she was subjected to interrogations after being given medications that exhausted her. Amnesty International has called for her “immediate and unconditional release”.
In a letter to Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Benn says the UK must intervene, and calls on her to “make representations to the Saudi authorities” for Shehab “so that she can be freed to return to her family and to her studies”. He says the case is “completely at odds with Saudi Arabia’s claim to be improving human rights”, writing: “It seems that all she has done is use her Twitter account to support women’s rights and greater freedom, and to call for the release of imprisoned activists in Saudi Arabia.”
Benn adds: “Saudi Arabia says, ‘we’re reforming the country.’ You can’t on the one hand say, ‘we are opening up and liberalizing the country,’ and on the other hand send a woman to prison for expressing her opinions on Twitter.
“I think we have a duty as citizens and countries to speak out wherever human rights are abused and denied in this way. The fact that she was a student in one of our universities adds to that obligation.” He calls the case “shocking and outrageous”.
According to the Guardian, Leeds University said: “We are deeply concerned to learn of the recent development in Salma’s case and are seeking advice on whether there is anything we can do to support her. Our thoughts remain with Salma, her family, and her friends among our close-knit community of postgraduate researchers.”
