Saudi Arabia is seeking the death penalty for Israa al-Ghomgham, a woman activist who was reportedly arrested in 2015 for participating in and documenting Shia anti-government protests.
If convicted, al-Ghomgham could become the first woman activist to be beheaded in Saudi, according to CNN.
Besides al-Ghomgham, four other women’s rights activists are also on trial in Saudi Arabia for charges including participating in protests, chanting slogans, attempting to inflame public opinion, filming protests, and providing moral support to rioters.
The news is especially unsettling in the context of the social reforms that have been initiated by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in recent months, including the historic lifting of the driving ban on women in Saudi Arabia.
The country is also a member of the United Nations Women’s Rights Commission.
“A Brutal Violation of Human Rights”: Tweeple Express Rage
Many took to Twitter to express their rage as the news of Israa al-Ghomgham’s trial and the prosecution’s appeal for the death sentence spread online.
“Is This an Example of the Crown Prince’s Reforms?” Ask Tweeple
Netizens also pointed out the contradiction that characterises Saudi Arabia’s socio-political scene and policies at present.
Tweeple Cite Saudi’s Spat with Canada
A number of Twitter users also brought up the Canada-Saudi Arabia spat that happened earlier in August.
The spat was ignited when the Saudi government ordered the expulsion of Canada’s ambassador to the kingdom, and announced a halt to “all new business and investment transactions with Canada”.
This was in response to tweets from Canada’s foreign affairs minister, Chrystia Freeland, and her ministry’s Twitter account criticising the arrest of Saudi human rights activist Samar Badawi.
A number of posts on Twitter also allege that Israa has already been beheaded. The news, however, is fake. The videos and screenshots that are being circulated on Twitter, showing a woman wearing a burkha, being publicly beheaded, is actually from 2015.
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