A recent decision by a Saudi court to hand fitness influencer Manahel al-Otaibi an 11-year prison term underscores the severe crackdown on even mildly critical online expressions, as noted by human rights organizations Amnesty International and ALQST.
Over the last couple of years, the Saudi judiciary has imposed lengthy prison sentences on numerous individuals for their social media posts, primarily managed by the Specialised Criminal Court.
Delving into some prominent cases, a mother-of-five in her late 40s, Qahtani, faced an escalation of her prison term from six-and-a-half years to 45 years for critical Twitter posts.
Another individual, Shehab, received a 34-year sentence for allegedly aiding dissidents by sharing their tweets, leading to restrictions on her travel for a similar duration.
Meanwhile, government critic Mohammed al-Ghamdi was condemned to death for charges such as plotting against the Saudi leadership and backing terrorist ideologies.
The Saudi authorities rarely comment on these cases, highlighting the oppressive environment surrounding online speech in the kingdom.
