When 34-year-old Salma al-Shehab was sentenced in 2021 for having an account on Twitter, now X, and for following and spreading posts by activists and opponents of the Saudi regime.
The London-based human rights group ALQST reports that her sentence has been reduced to four years' imprisonment and four years' probation, which means she has now been released. However, it is unclear whether she is allowed to leave the country.
"She must now be given full freedom, including the right to travel abroad to complete her studies", writes ALQST in a statement.
Saudi Arabia has not officially commented on the reduced sentence.
The mother of two, who was studying at the University of Leeds and had returned to Saudi Arabia during her vacation, was initially sentenced to three years' imprisonment for "using a website to cause public unrest and destabilize security". The sentence was later tightened after a prosecutor asked the court to review other alleged crimes.
