With this stark verdict, international human rights groups wasted no time in voicing their strong condemnation.
“The level of oppression in Saudi Arabia has reached a horrifying new low when the courts can impose a death sentence for peaceful tweets,” stated Joey Shea, a researcher at Human Rights Watch.
As per Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia ranked among the top three countries with the highest number of executions in 2022, trailing only behind China and Iran. In the preceding year, Saudi Arabia executed 196 individuals, marking the highest tally recorded by Amnesty in the last three decades.
In a shocking turn of events, the kingdom carried out its largest-ever mass execution in modern history in March, with 81 individuals put to death in a single day. However, al-Ghamdi’s case appears to be the first instance where such a severe sentence has been imposed solely for online activities.
