Awad bin Mohammed Al-Qarni (born 1957) is a prominent reformist law professor in Saudi Arabia who was arrested and condemned to death for offenses including using a Twitter account and WhatsApp to share messages deemed "hostile" to the kingdom.
Awad bin Mohammed Al-Qarniعوض بن محمد القرني | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1957 (age 66–67) Balqarn governorate, 'Asir Region, Saudi Arabia |
| Nationality | Saudi Arabian |
| Occupation(s) | Law professor at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University and King Khalid University |
| Known for | Writing several books on Islamic jurisprudence and the Palestinian issue |
| Criminal charge(s) | Hostile actions against Saudi Arabia, owning a Twitter account, and using WhatsApp to share messages deemed "hostile" to the kingdom |
Biography
editAwad Al-Qarni was born in 1957 and raised in Balqarn governorate in Saudi Arabia's southwestern 'Asir Region. Al-Qarni was a professor at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University and King Khalid University, who focused on law and has written several books on Islamic jurisprudence and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. According to the International Union of Muslim Scholars website, he was the head of the Saudi Arabian Union on neuro-linguistic programming.[1][2]
Background, arrest, and sentencing
editIn September 2017, Al-Qarni was arrested and charged with hostile actions against Saudi Arabia.[citation needed] According to The Guardian newspaper, Saudi-controlled media described Al-Qarni as a dangerous preacher,[3] but the dissenters believed that he was an important intellectual on social media, including Twitter, with more than 2 million followers. Al-Qarni was arrested[4] in 2007 and condemned to 15 years in jail in 2011 during a trial against the "Jeddah reformers".[5]
On 15 January 2023, The Guardian reported that Al-Qarni faced the death penalty from the Saudi government for offenses including owning a Twitter account and using WhatsApp to share messages deemed "hostile" to the kingdom. The details of the news were revealed by his son Nasser al-Qarni in a video, who left Saudi Arabia last year and is living in the UK. Nasser also said he withdrew from the Gulf Kingdom under the threat of imprisonment or execution by the Saudi authorities if he spoke about his father.[6][7][8]
Criticisms and reactions
editThe United States government has accused Saudi Arabia of using big technology companies and social media platforms such as Twitter and WhatsApp to suppress its critics. Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund the Public Investment Fund from 2018 to 2022 raised their stake in US social media platforms Twitter and Meta Platforms, the company that owns Facebook and WhatsApp.[9][10][11]
Jeed Basyouni, the head of Middle East and North African advocacy at Reprieve, said that the kingdom has sought to present an international image of investment in technology, modern infrastructure, sports, and entertainment through posting about the kingdom's investment on Facebook and Twitter, while that scholars and academics, including Al-Qarni, are facing the death penalty by the government of Bin Salman for tweeting and expressing their opinions.[6][12]
Khalid Aljabri, son of Saad bin Khalid Al Jabri said: It's more than abhorrent that a prominent law professor faces the death penalty for using Twitter while an FBI fugitive is wanted for allegedly selling the personal information of Saudi dissidents to the Saudi government by breaking into Twitter's headquarters (Ahmad Al-Mutairi), acquires a Netflix-sponsored VIP invitation to attend a Saudi government event.[6][12]
See also
edit
- 2016 Saudi Arabia mass execution
- Human rights in Saudi Arabia
- 2018 Women's Rights Crackdown
- Dina Ali Lasloom – imprisoned Saudi asylum seeker
- Fahad al-Butairi – abducted in Jordan and taken to be imprisoned in Saudi Arabia
- Hamza Kashgari – pro-democracy activist and columnist imprisoned for blasphemy
- Israa al-Ghomgham – Saudi Qatif conflict human rights activist
- Loujain al-Hathloul – Saudi women's rights activist
- Manal al-Sharif – Saudi human rights activist
- Mishaal bint Fahd bin Mohammed Al Saud – Saudi princess executed for alleged adultery
- Princesses Jawaher, Sahar, Hala and Maha – Saudi princesses under house arrest
- Raif Badawi – imprisoned Saudi dissident, writer and activist
- Samar Badawi – imprisoned Saudi activist
- Sheikh Baqir al-Nimr – dissident cleric executed for starting riots in Qatif
- Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act
- List of solved missing person cases
- Saudi Arabian involvement in the Syrian Civil War
- Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
References
edit- ^ "Who are the key Sahwa figures Saudi Arabia is cracking down on?". Al Jazeera. June 5, 2019.
- ^ "Explained: Who is Saudi Arabia preacher Awad Al-Qarni sentenced to death for using Twitter and Whatsapp?". Firstpost. January 16, 2023.
- ^ "awad-al-qarni". Arab News.
- ^ "Saudi activist sentenced to 16 years for tweet". Middle East Monitor. September 28, 2022.
- ^ MEE staff (October 12, 2021). "Saudi Arabia: Prominent cleric dies in detention, say campaigners". Middle East Eye.
- ^ a b c Kirchgaessner, Stephanie (January 15, 2023). "Saudi prosecutors seek death penalty for academics over social media use". The Guardian.
- ^ Carey and Nereim, Glen and Vivian (September 13, 2017). "Saudi Crackdown on Dissent Wins Backing From Religious Body". Bloomberg News.
- ^ MEE staff (October 6, 2022). "Saudi Arabia: Awad al-Qarni's home looked like a 'battlefield' during his arrest, says son". Middle East Eye.
- ^ Groll, Elias (October 19, 2018). "The Kingdom's Hackers and Bots". Foreign policy.
- ^ "Saudi University Professor Sentenced to Death for Using Social Media Apps to Share News". January 15, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Rory (November 7, 2019). "In Saudi Arabia, Twitter Has Become a Tool to Crack Down on Dissent".
- ^ a b "Saudi Arabian Academic on Death Row for Using Twitter, WhatsApp". Fars News Agency. January 15, 2023.