MENA Solidarity welcomes the recent decision by a Saudi court to reduce Salma al-Shehab’s prison sentence from 27 years to four years, with an additional four years suspended. However, no release date has been announced yet.

Salma was initially sentenced to six years in March 2022, but her term was escalated to 34 years on appeal in August 2022 before being slightly reduced to 27 years in January 2023. While this latest reduction marks a small victory, it does not erase the barbaric nature of her treatment or the injustice she has suffered.

In a joint statement, human rights organisations, including ALQST for Human Rights, DAWN, and Freedom House, welcomed the decision, describing it as “a significant step to correct a gross miscarriage of justice in a case that has garnered global attention and condemnation”.

Salma al-Shehab, a PhD student at Leeds University, committed no crime. Her only “offense” was peacefully expressing her views—a fundamental right that was met with an appalling 34-year prison sentence and a travel ban. Her punishment exposes the true face of a regime determined to silence dissent and crush basic freedoms.

Salma is not alone. She is one of many victims of the Saudi regime’s systematic repression of activists and individuals who dare to expose its corruption and tyranny. Her case highlights the regime’s utter contempt for human rights and freedom of expression.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that “Saudi authorities continue to use overbroad and vague provisions of the notorious counterterrorism law to silence dissent and persecute religious minorities. Asaad and Mohammed al-Ghamdi, Salma al-Shehab, and Nourah al-Qahtani were all sentenced under Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism law for peacefully exercising their right to free expression online”.

For more details about Salma’s case, see this article.

In September 2022, ALQST issued a letter, supported by Leeds University UCU (University & College Union), addressed to former Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss and ex-Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. Signed by over 400 academics, students, and university/college employees, the letter demanded Salma’s immediate release and called on the British government to condemn her imprisonment.

Lesley McGorrigan, then UCU Regional Secretary for Yorkshire and Humberside and a National Executive Committee (NEC) member, spoke at a virtual event in September 2023, organised by MENA Solidarity Network to mark International Women’s Day. She reiterated the demands outlined in the Leeds UCU letter addressed to the University of Leeds Vice-Chancellor. These demands remain as urgent today as they were then:

• Issue a public statement unequivocally condemning Salma al-Shehab’s conviction, calling for her immediate release, and demanding all charges against her be dropped.
• Engage directly with the Saudi Ambassador to convey this condemnation and demand justice for Salma.
• Pressure the British government—specifically the Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister—to condemn Salma’s conviction and demand her unconditional release.
• Review and report on institutional ties between the University of Leeds and the repressive Saudi regime.

Leeds UCU campaigns officer, Anja Komatar, told MENA Solidarity about the decision: “UCU University of Leeds branch believes that Salma al-Shehab must be released immediately and unconditionally, and have her travel ban immediately lifted. We stand in solidarity with Salma and welcome the news that her sentence was reduced by the Saudi court. Our branch resolved in 2023 to call on the University to publicly speak out for al-Shehab’s release. We are still waiting for the university to publicly support Salma. Our branch notes that UNWGAD found that Salma’s detention was arbitrary – she should’ve never been imprisoned and must be released immediately”.

What you can do:

• Propose motions calling for Salma’s release at your local union branch and encourage solidarity actions.
• Contact MPs and government officials, urging them to condemn Salma’s imprisonment and demand her release.
• Demand that the University of Leeds and other institutions with ties to Saudi Arabia take a stand for human rights.
• Share Salma’s story on social media, in your workplace, and within your trade union to pressure authorities to act.