Staff Reports
In another shocking display of an oppressive regime, a man in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to death for the crime of expressing his opinions on social media. Mohammed bin Nasser al-Ghamdi dared to criticize Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), the king, and the Saudi royals on Twitter and YouTube. Clearly, the Saudi government cannot handle any form of dissent and is using extreme measures to silence its critics.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) brought attention to this case, revealing that al-Ghamdi was tried in a special counterterrorism court for his online expression. His tweets, retweets, and YouTube activity were used as evidence against him, leading to his death sentence. It is absurd to think that a man’s peaceful expression of his beliefs can be considered a terrorist act.
Even more outrageous is the fact that al-Ghamdi’s online activity was simply the sharing of others’ criticisms of Saudi government leaders. By punishing him for merely retweeting, the Saudi regime has set a dangerous precedent for suppressing online speech. It is clear that they are determined to control what their citizens can say and think.
Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism tribunal has "convicted Muhammad al-Ghamdi, 54, a retired Saudi teacher, of several criminal offenses related solely to his peaceful expression online": https://t.co/iBsfAfKy8t
— David A. Weinberg (@DavidAWeinberg) August 29, 2023
This incident has prompted activists to call on Elon Musk, a prominent figure in the tech industry, to denounce Saudi Arabia’s oppressive actions. It is crucial for influential individuals like Musk to use their platforms and speak out against such blatant violations of human rights.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Another case involves a student named Salma al-Shehab and others, who are facing decades in prison for their online postings. These sentences are undoubtedly part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s campaign to crush any form of dissent in the kingdom. It is deeply concerning to see how far he is willing to go to maintain control, even sacrificing the lives and freedom of his own people.
This story serves as a reminder of the importance of freedom of speech and the dangers of unchecked power. The Saudi regime’s crackdown on dissent is a clear violation of basic human rights, and the international community must not turn a blind eye to these atrocities.
