Human rights groups have warned that a female Shia activist detained in Saudi Arabia since December 2015 may be beheaded.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other groups have said that Israa al-Ghomgham and at least four other activists face execution for participating in 2011 Arab Spring protests in eastern Saudi Arabia’s Shia heartland.
Quote of the day, by @sarahleah1 as Saudi Arabia seeks the death penalty against five activists, including female human rights activist Israa al-Ghomgham: https://t.co/D7wdUGB7tH pic.twitter.com/CwC9TTDlMr
— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) August 21, 2018
Human Rights Watch said al-Ghomgham is the “first female activist to possibly face the death penalty for her human rights-related work, which sets a dangerous precedent for other women activists currently behind bars”.
The US state department said it is aware of al-Ghomgham’s case and remains “deeply concerned by the detention of activists in Saudi Arabia”.
