According to a report by a foreign news agency, the Saudi government has sentenced a woman named Salma al-Shahab to 34 years in prison for the crime of supporting, following and retweeting critics of the kingdom on a Twitter account.
Salma Al Shahab, a PhD student at the University of Leeds in the UK, was arrested when she returned home from a holiday last year. The report revealed that it is the longest sentence ever given to a women's rights defender in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, Salma Al Shahab was initially sentenced to three years in prison by the Special Terrorism Court, but the appeal court increased the sentence to 34 years.She was accused of using an internet website to spread unrest and destabilize national security, Salma al-Shahab is married and a mother of two children.
On the other hand, human rights organizations against the sentence of Salma al-Shahab have condemned the decision and demanded her release.
