Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor is seeking death penalty against five human rights activists currently on trial in a secretive terrorism court, according to Human Rights Watch.
Israa al-Ghomgham is one among the detainees and is the first woman to possibly face the death penalty for human rights-related work in Saudi Arabia. Charges against her include incitement to protest and providing moral support to rioters, Reuters reported.
“Any execution is appalling, but seeking the death penalty for activists like Israa al-Ghomgham, who are not even accused of violent behavior, is monstrous,” Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement on Wednesday.
Ghomgham is a prominent Shi’ite Muslim activist who documented mass demonstrations in the Eastern Province starting in 2011. She was arrested from her home in December 2015 along with her husband.
ALQST, a London-based Saudi rights group, reported the decision involving Ghomgham’s case earlier this week.
A government communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Activists said the trial was ongoing, and denied social media reports that the detainees had already been executed.
Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has tried in the recent years to bring in social and economic reforms in Saudi Arabia, where public protests and political parties are banned.