Salma al-Shehab, a Saudi PhD student at the University of Leeds, has been freed after a tumultuous legal ordeal that began when she was arrested in January 2021 during a holiday in Saudi Arabia. Initially sentenced to three years in prison for tweets supporting women’s rights, her sentence escalated dramatically to 34 years before being reduced to four years. Her arrest and prolonged detention drew international condemnation, with human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention decrying her punishment as “arbitrary.”
Al-Shehab's arrest came after she was accused of using online platforms to "cause public unrest and destabilise civil and national security," primarily for retweeting posts from Saudi women's rights activists. Dana Ahmed noted that her only "crime" was "just because she tweeted in support of women’s rights and retweeted Saudi women’s rights activists." Despite these accusations, the international community, including over 300 academics and students from Leeds University, advocated for her release.
Following her arrest, al-Shehab endured over nine months in solitary confinement before appearing before Saudi Arabia's Specialised Criminal Court (SCC). During this period, she experienced significant personal losses. Her husband divorced her while she was incarcerated, and she spent four years separated from her two young children.
Lina Al-Hathloul, a prominent advocate for women's rights in Saudi Arabia, expressed the severe impact of such detentions on individuals and their families. She remarked, "Not seeing her kids, not knowing whether she could complete her PhD. She was originally sentenced to six years, then it was increased to 34 years and then it was reduced to 27 years and then 4 years. It has been a nightmare really not to even be able to trust the judiciary and its decisions." Al-Hathloul highlighted the systemic issues faced by women in similar situations, stating, "We don’t know all the circumstances around this but it seems like it’s a pattern … women having divorces filed against them and not being informed of it."
Al-Shehab's case has become emblematic of broader challenges faced by women in Saudi Arabia, especially those from marginalized groups. As a member of the Shia Muslim minority, she represents a community that has long reported discrimination in the predominantly Sunni kingdom.
Her release followed intense international pressure and advocacy. The UNWGAD had called for her immediate release in June 2023, labeling her detention as unjust. Lina Al-Hathloul emphasized the significance of this pressure, noting that "She is symbolic of a pattern. She was released because of this pressure but many more others still remain in prison for the same charges."
While al-Shehab's release marks a bittersweet victory, it underscores ongoing issues within Saudi Arabia's legal system. Al-Hathloul remarked on the oppressive nature of travel restrictions and the constant fear they instill: "making sure everyone lives in constant fear. I can’t really explain to you how much of a weight it is to have this travel ban. It is a constant threat of potential arrest. It is unbearable really, it is very heavy."
Despite the challenges she faced, al-Shehab's resilience shines through. Al-Hathloul praised her courage by saying, "She is very strong. Salma is a very brave woman. She went on hunger strike to complain about the conditions." This determination ultimately contributed to her release under what Al-Hathloul described as "very sad circumstances but it is better than being in prison for 34 years."