Mr. Awad Al-Qarni. Photo: Middle East Eye.
According to court documents that Guardian under review, 65-year-old Awad Al-Qarni was arrested in September 2017.
Details of the charges against the scholar were shared by his son Nasser. This person has had to flee the country and is living in England, Guardian reported on January 15.
Al-Qarni is portrayed in the media controlled by the Saudi government as a dangerous preacher.
However, opponents of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman say that Al-Qarni is an influential and highly regarded scholar with a large social media following, including 2 million on social media. Twitter.
Prosecution documents shared by Nasser Al-Qarni show that the use of social media and other means of communication has been considered a crime inside the kingdom since Crown Prince Mohammed was ordained.
The translation of the allegations against Mr Al-Qarni includes the professor’s “admitment” that he opened a social media account in his own name (@awadalqarni) and used it “whenever possible”. opportunity… to express one’s own opinion”.
The documents also state that he “admitted” to participating in a WhatsApp chat, and allegedly participating in videos praising the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Qarni’s creation of an account and use of Telegram was also included in the charges.
Human rights advocates and dissidents living in exile from Saudi Arabia warn that authorities in the kingdom are waging a crackdown on individuals believed to be critical of the government.
Last year, Salma al-Shehab – a doctoral student at the University of Leeds in the UK and mother of two – received a 34-year prison sentence for having a Twitter account, and for following and spreading messages. of dissidents and activists.
Another woman, Noura al-Qahtani, was sentenced to 45 years in prison for using Twitter.