Several organisations, including Sanad Organisation for Human Rights, highlighted the violations of the Saudi authorities of the international laws and treaties that preserve freedom of opinion and expression. The Saudi authorities attempt to use laws that lack clear texts, as a repressive tool to violate freedoms and expression of opinion.
As societies became actively using technology and social media platforms to express their opinions; the authorities used the Information Crimes Law to suppress freedom of opinion and expression and to spy on activists. The Saudi authorities interpret the provisions of the laws, including the Information Crimes Law, in accordance with their repressive policies.
Article 6 of the Information Crimes Law states that every person who works to produce, prepare, send, or store what may prejudice public order, religious values, public morals, or the sanctity of private life, shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding three million riyals, or by one of these two penalties.
The authority uses these laws in accordance with their policies, to issue arbitrary decisions without any legal justification, which affects the human rights situation in the country.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman uses this law against those expressing their opinions on social media for fear of increasing criticism against decision-makers, or exposing their crimes and violations.
As a result of the interpretations of some provisions of the Cybercrime Law, many social media activists became subject to the repression of the government.
Article 7 also stipulates that anyone creating a website for a terrorist organisation will be fined 5 million riyals and imprisoned for 10 years.
The Saudi authorities have arrested hundreds of activists and intellectuals on Twitter, which confirms the Saudi authority’s violation of freedom of expression in contravention of the law and international treaties on human rights.
Human Rights Watch had previously highlighted the increasing repression inside Saudi Arabia, despite the release of a number of prisoners sentenced to harsh sentences, travel bans and torture, as well as the repression of opponents, human rights activists, and independent critics.
HRW stated that the sentencing of three detainees, in March and April, to long prison terms on charges related to their opposition and their peaceful expression, shows the arbitrariness of the Saudi authorities.
