This week, the Kingdom imposed a second extensive sentence on another female activist, Noura bint Saeed al-Qahtani, for her social media activities.
She was sentenced to 42 years in prison, according to the advocacy group Dawn, which was founded by Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist killed by Saudi agents in 2018.
Critics of the Kingdom fear the crown prince was encouraged by a recent state visit by US President Joe Biden, during which the two leaders exchanged “fists”.
The meeting, which was to discuss oil production amid an energy crisis sparked by Russia, lent legitimacy to the Gulf leader, who until then had been a pariah due to Khashoggi’s assassination.
The crown prince vehemently denied personally ordering Khashoggi’s assassination and blamed the crime on rogue Saudi agents.
Referring to the attacks on the orphanages, Taha al-Hajji, director of the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, said: “The policy of impunity that has become clear in Saudi Arabia since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi confirms that one cannot believes that someone’s investigation will bring the perpetrators to justice.”
The rights group said it was also concerned that the women who filmed the attacks now risk prosecution under tough laws that ban anything that damages Saudi Arabia’s public image.
The country has said its crackdown on dissidents is justified because it says they are supporters of terrorism and a threat to the state.
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