Israa al-Ghomgham is a Shia activist who faces the possibility of being the first female activists
to be executed in Saudi Arabia. She has been in detention for three years prior to her trail, at
which the prosecutor is demanding the death penalty.
Her crime is using Facebook and other media to protest, her support for the minority Shia
Muslim minority, her support for women’s rights (a host of vague charges that include
“participating in protests,” “attempting to inflame public opinion,” “filming protests and
publishing on social media,” and “providing moral support to rioters”).
Some would say there is more chance to exert an influence now before the trial concludes
than after a sentence has been pronounced. There are fears that the authorities will act quickly
after any sentence is imposed.
Please appeal to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, or send letters via the local Saudi
Arabian embassy. You may consider sending a copy to your local political representative.
The Crown Prince also has a Facebook site that you might like to utilize.
HRH. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman
First Prime Minister and Defense Minister,
Riyadh,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Your Royal Highness,
May I respectfully and urgently ask you to
intervene in the prosecution of Israa al-Ghomgham in the Kingdom’s terrorism court.
Freedom of expression is a key human right, one protected by the United Nations
Declaration of Human Rights. I note that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is member of
the Human Rights Council of the UN. The possibility of imposing the death penalty on
a woman who has not been accused of an act of violence, but of protest, damages the
reputation of the Kingdom.
We ask the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia become a model to its neighbours of tolerance and
freedom.Your Royal Highness, please intervene in this case to ensure that Israa al-Ghomgham is
not sentenced to death and so become the first woman to be executed for such
charges.
Respectfully,