The non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced today the death sentence in Saudi Arabia of a retired professor for publishing political opinions on social networks against the king and the crown prince, an act that is persecuted by the authorities of the kingdom, one of the countries that apply the death penalty the most in the world.
The Specialized Criminal Court convicted Mohamed al Ghamdi, a 54-year-old retired Saudi teacher, "for various criminal offenses related solely to his peaceful expression online," and the use of his posts and reposts on platform X, (formerly Twitter). and his activity on YouTube as "evidence against him," criticized the NGO.
"The crackdown in Saudi Arabia has reached a terrifying new stage, when a court can sentence the death penalty solely for peaceful postings," said Joey Shea, HRW's Saudi Arabia researcher.
In addition, he assured that "the Saudi authorities have intensified their campaign "against all dissent to amazing levels" and should reject this "travesty of justice."
According to court documents reviewed by the NGO, the court sentenced Al Ghamdi to death under the anti-terror law for "depicting the king or crown prince in a way that undermines religion or justice," for supporting an entity that embraces terrorist ideology and for publishing "fake news"
Security forces arrested Al Ghamdi in front of his wife and children on June 11, 2022, outside his home in the al Nouriyah neighborhood in the Mecca region and a month later he was sentenced to death for a court.
Al Ghamdi's brother, Saed bin Naser al Ghamdi, is a well-known Islamic scholar and opponent of the government who lives in exile in the UK.
In a post on X on August 24, Saed called the conviction a "false ruling" aimed at personally assaulting him after unsuccessful attempts to return him to the country.
Last month, Saudi authorities executed a citizen sentenced to death on charges "related to terrorism in Mecca", bringing to 67 the number of prisoners executed in the Arab kingdom so far this year, according to the tally. carried out by the Saudi NGO ALQST.
Several human rights organizations such as Amnesty International denounce that the execution rate in Saudi Arabia has almost doubled since Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman came to power seven years ago, during which time the death penalty has been applied to more than a thousand people.
