Riyadh Drops Death Penalty against Female Activist Israa Al-Ghomgham, Rights Groups

Old picture of Israa Al-Ghomgham from her childhood, posted on Twitter before her arrest
Old picture of Israa Al-Ghomgham from her childhood, posted on Twitter before her arrest

2019-02-03 - 3:20 ص

Bahrain Mirror (AFP): Saudi Arabia is no longer seeking the death penalty against woman activist Israa al-Ghomgham, who has been in jail since December 2015, rights groups said Friday.

Riyadh has faced increasing pressure over the detention of Ghomgham for her involvement in anti-government protests in the east of the kingdom.

"News that Saudi Arabia s authorities have dropped their outrageous call for Israa al-Ghomgham to be executed comes as a huge relief," said Amnesty International's Middle East campaign head Samah Hadid.

However, "she is still facing a ludicrous prison sentence simply for participating in peaceful demonstrations," she added.

There was no official Saudi comment on her case.

Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor has charged four other rights campaigners alongside Ghomgham, accusing them of inciting mass protests in mainly Shiite areas of the Sunni-ruled country's Eastern Province.

Hadid urged Saudi prosecutors to "immediately drop their call for the death penalty" against the four other defendants, whose trial opened in a Riyadh court in August.

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights also said the court was no longer seeking the death penalty against Ghomgham but that she was "still likely to face a lengthy sentence".

It urged Saudi authorities to "drop all charges against those arrested for exercising their right to freedom of expression".

Ghomgham had documented the protests in Eastern Province since they began in 2011.

 

Arabic Version

 


التعليقات
التعليقات المنشورة لا تعبر بالضرورة عن رأي الموقع

comments powered by Disqus