A Retired Teacher in Saudi Arabia Sentenced to Death After Critical Tweets

A court in Saudi Arabia sentenced a retired teacher to death for his statements on social media. According to CNN, Saeed bin Nasser al-Ghamdi wrote last week that his brother, Mohammed al-Ghamdi, a 54-year-old retired teacher from Saudi Arabia, was sentenced after 'five tweets criticizing corruption and human rights violations.' According to Human Rights Watch, Mohammed al-Ghamdi was arrested last year and had limited access to a lawyer until his sentencing in July (almost two months ago). The report states that Mr. al-Ghamdi was sentenced to death under Article 30 of the Saudi Anti-Terrorism Law for 'describing the king or crown prince in a way that undermines religion or justice,' Article 34 for 'supporting a terrorist ideology,' Article 43 for 'communicating with a terrorist entity,' and Article 44 for spreading false news 'with the intent to commit a terrorist crime.' Joey Shea, a researcher at Human Rights Watch on Saudi Arabia, stated in a statement released on Tuesday, September 7, that 'the crackdown in Saudi Arabia has reached a terrifying new level when a court has the power to issue a death sentence for something as minor as a peaceful tweet.' According to the Saudi Human Rights Organization in Europe, Saudi Arabia has executed at least 92 people this year. In 2022, the UK-based human rights organization 'QST' listed 148 executions in Saudi Arabia, more than double the number of executions recorded in 2021. Lina al-Hathloul, head of monitoring and defense at the 'QST' human rights organization and sister of released Saudi political prisoner Loujain al-Hathloul, stated that Mr. al-Ghamdi's death sentence was issued amid a 'growing crackdown' on freedom of expression in the country. Ms. al-Hathloul said, 'They are sending a clear and malicious message - that no one is safe, and even a tweet can lead to your death.' Saeed bin Nasser al-Ghamdi, brother of Mohammed al-Ghamdi, a prominent Islamic studies scholar and government critic who is in voluntary exile in the UK, believes that the severity of this sentence is designed to serve as a punishment for him as well. He said, 'Saudi officials have repeatedly asked me to return to Saudi Arabia, but I have refused. This death sentence for my brother is likely retaliation for my activism. Otherwise, his charges would not warrant such a heavy penalty.' CNN reached out to the Saudi Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.