Saudi government urged to overturn death sentence on social media activist
U.N experts say mere expression of views on the internet does not deserve death penalty
GENEVA – U.N. experts have urged Saudi Arabia to overturn the death sentence of Mohammad Al Ghamdi, who is accused of advocating for dissent on social media.
The experts expressed concern about the severity of the sentence imposed on Ghamdi.
Saudi security services had taken Ghamdi into custody on June 11 on charges related to his comments on social media.
On July 10, Ghamdi was sentenced to death by Saudi Arabia’s Special Criminal Court.
U.N. experts including the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, stated that the sentences blatantly violate established international legal norms and human rights standards.
They also emphasized that the mere expression of critical viewpoints on the Internet does not meet the threshold established in international law for the imposition of the death penalty.
The experts’ call comes amid an escalating crackdown in Saudi Arabia on individuals who use social media and the Internet to express their views.
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