# Saudi appeals court gives Salma al-Shehab a 34-year sentence over Twitter activity

Date: 2022

In early August 2022, a Saudi appeals court increased the sentence of doctoral student Salma al-Shehab to 34 years in prison based on her Twitter activity, Human Rights Watch reported on 19 August. Human Rights Watch said the case relied on peaceful online expression and that the sentence was imposed under the counterterrorism framework. This event records the court action and the documented basis of the prosecution. It does not infer that every online-expression case in Saudi Arabia follows the same process. The unusually severe prison term for social-media activity is relevant to both state coercion and online expression because punishment can deter not only the defendant but also other users who observe the consequences of peaceful posting. Responsibility is attributed indirectly to the governing system under [Mohammed bin Salman](/people/mohammed-bin-salman) rather than presented as a claim that he personally issued the judicial sentence.

## People

- Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud: https://factrail.ai/people/mohammed-bin-salman

## Drivers

- Digital Censorship: https://factrail.ai/drivers/digital-censorship
- State Repression: https://factrail.ai/drivers/state-repression

## Sources

- https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/08/19/saudi-arabia-woman-sentenced-34-years-tweets

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/facts/sa-salma-al-shehab-sentence-2022