"Saudi Doctoral Student Gets 34 Years in Prison For Tweets"

The AP reports:

A Saudi court has sentenced a doctoral student to 34 years in prison for spreading "[allegedly false] rumors" and retweeting dissidents, according to court documents obtained Thursday, a decision that has drawn growing global condemnation.

Activists and lawyers consider the sentence against Salma al-Shehab, a mother of two and a researcher at Leeds University in Britain, shocking even by Saudi standards of justice….

Al-Shehab was detained during a family vacation in January 2021 just days before she planned to return to the United Kingdom ….

Judges accused al-Shehab of "disturbing public order" and "destabilizing the social fabric" — claims stemming solely from her social media activity, according to an official charge sheet….