A Saudi court has found that a former teacher has been sentenced to death for comments he posted online./Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images
2023.09.01 Fri posted at 12:15 JST
(CNN) A Saudi court has sentenced a former teacher to death for what he said online. Human Rights Watch, a family and rights group, said.
Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, 54, a former teacher, was sentenced to death. He was charged with posting “five tweets criticizing corruption and human rights violations,” said his brother Saeed Binnaser Al-Ghamdi.
Muhammad was arrested last year and had little access to his lawyer, and was charged with “representing the king or crown prince in a manner contrary to religion and justice” and “supporting terrorism,” according to Human Rights Watch. He was found guilty in July of this year on charges of “communicating with a terrorist organization” and “spreading fake news with the intent to commit a terrorist crime.”
Human Rights Watch criticized the ruling on August 29, saying, “Saudi Arabia’s crackdown has reached a frightening new stage. Only peaceful tweets can result in courts handing down death sentences.”
His brother, Saeed, a prominent Islamic scholar who criticizes the Saudi government, lives in exile in the United Kingdom. “Saudi authorities have repeatedly asked me to return to Saudi Arabia, but I have not complied. This death sentence is highly likely to be retaliation for my actions. It should not be handed down,” he said.
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2023-09-01 03:15:00
