US is ‘concerned’ over sentencing of Saudi aid worker | Human Rights News

Abdulrahman al-Sadhan was reportedly sentenced to twenty years in jail adopted by a 20-year journey ban.

The USA’ Division of State has mentioned it’s involved about stories on the sentencing of a Saudi assist employee by a “counterterrorism” court docket and is watching the case intently.

The help employee, Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, who was detained by Saudi authorities in March 2018, was reportedly sentenced to twenty years in jail adopted by a 20-year journey ban, based on a press release from State Division spokesman Ned Worth. His arrest is believed to be linked to an nameless Twitter account he ran that satirised the Saudi authorities.

“We’ll proceed to observe this case intently all through any appeals course of. As we now have mentioned to Saudi officers in any respect ranges, freedom of expression ought to by no means be a punishable offense,” Worth mentioned in a press release on Monday.

The Saudi authorities media didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark.

We’re involved by stories that Saudi assist employee Abdulrahman al-Sadhan was given a 20-year jail sentence and journey ban, pending attraction, after being held with restricted contact with household for 3 years. Exercising human rights ought to by no means be a punishable offense.

— Ned Worth (@StateDeptSpox) April 6, 2021

The administration of US President Joe Biden has mentioned it’s going to take a harder stance on Riyadh’s human rights file, a pivot from the method of former President Donald Trump, who maintained shut ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and took a permissive method to the dominion.

In February, the US launched an intelligence report that immediately linked the crown prince to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, though Washington was criticised by rights observers for not taking direct motion towards MBS. The crown prince has denied involvement.

However MBS “acquired the message”, proper @SecBlinken @JoeBiden @ChrisMurphyCT.

Now that we’re solely promoting him “offensive” weapons he guarantees to be an excellent prince and solely persecute Saudis inside Saudi Arabia. https://t.co/8BwYKI3VND

— Sarah Leah Whitson (@sarahleah1) April 5, 2021

The Biden administration has urged Riyadh to launch political prisoners, which Saudi authorities deny exist.

Final month, ladies’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was launched after practically three years in jail, having served half of her custodial sentence.

Two Saudi activists with US citizenship have additionally been freed on bail pending trials on prices associated to “terrorism”.

The releases have been seen as an try and easy friction following the Khashoggi report.

The US, which exports about 80 p.c of Riyadh’s arms, has additionally mentioned it will finish assist for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition combating in Yemen and related arm gross sales to the nation, however has thus far supplied little readability on concrete actions taken.

‘Brutal and unjust’

Al-Sadhan was arrested on March 12, 2018, from the Purple Crescent Society places of work within the capital Riyadh, the place he labored.

His sister Areej, a US citizen who has been advocating for his launch, has mentioned he was detained and not using a warrant or prices towards him. Rights group say he was seized after his nameless Twitter account was breached.

“No phrases can describe how I really feel! This BRUTAL & UNJUST ruling is only a reminder of the horrible scenario the Saudi ppl are in,” Areej al-Sadhan tweeted after the court docket session on Monday.

The arrest got here as half of a bigger try by the crown prince to crush dissent within the kingdom as he concurrently pushed social and financial reforms that sought to shore up Western assist and modernise the dominion.

The crackdowns have seen Saudi authorities detain senior royals, activists, intellectuals and clerics.