Criticising MBS leads Saudi man to gallows

RIYADH:  A former teacher, Mohammad Alghamdi, has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for speaking out against the country’s rulers, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), on social media.

This marks a new high—or low—in Saudi Arabia’s clampdown on online freedom of speech. Even though Alghamdi had a tiny online following, human rights groups and his family are sounding the alarm.

Alghamdi, in his mid-50s and a father of seven, had only about 8 followers across two anonymous accounts on the social media platform X (previously known as Twitter). Despite his limited reach, he shared posts criticizing government corruption and other issues.

The social media site X is a hot spot for Saudis to express their grievances against their government.

Lina Alhathloul, a leading figure in the ALQST human rights group, pointed out that X has been one of the few places where people felt they could speak freely—even if they had to hide their identity.

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What makes Alghamdi’s case stand out is the severity of his sentence compared to the tiny influence he had online. He has the option to appeal the death sentence.

Court papers, reviewed by human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch, revealed that Alghamdi was sentenced on 10 July under the country’s loosely defined counterterrorism law. The charges against him included insulting the Saudi king or crown prince and promoting terrorist ideas.

The Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh, which normally deals with terrorism cases, convicted him. However, according to multiple reports, this court has increasingly been used to silence those who speak against the government.

Prosecutors in these types of cases usually claim that any form of criticism against the Saudi leadership puts the country’s national security at risk and can unsettle the community. It’s worth noting that many of these cases are tried in secret.