Osama Khalid
Osama Khalid | |
|---|---|
 Khalid in 2016 | |
| Born | 19 January 1994[1] |
| Nationality | Saudi Arabian |
| Occupation | Medical doctor |
Osama Khalid is a medical doctor a Wikipedia administrator from Saudi Arabia who was sentenced to a 32-year prision sentence in 2020.[2] According to human rights activists, his arrest and prison sentence was because he contributed information deemed to be critical about the persecution of political activists in Saudi Arabia.[3] According to the joint statement by Washington-based whistleblower organization DAWN and Beirut based digital rights group SMEX, the arrest of Osama is speculated to be part of a crackdown on Wikipedia adminstrators.[4] However, the charges pressed on him by the Saudi regime are "swaying public opinion" and "violating public morals” by posting content “deemed to be critical about the persecution of political activists in the country".[5]
Arrest
According to the sources from DAWN and SMEX, Osama Khalid and a fellow Wikipedia administrator Ziyad al-Sofiani were arrested on the same day in the 2020. The Specialized Criminal Court of Saudi Arabia, the counter-terrorism court of the country, initially sentenced him to five years in Al-Haer prison in Riyadh in summer of 2020. In September 2022, the court increased his sentence to 32 years for the same charges.[6]
References
- ^ "Saudi Arabia: Birthday in jail: Saudi Wikipedian Osama Khalid Remains Unjustly Imprisoned on his 30th Birthday". Access Now. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia jails two Wikipedia staff in 'bid to control content'". The Guardian. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia 'infiltrated' Wikipedia to control content, activists say". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Activists say Saudi government 'infiltrated' Wikipedia, jailed two admins". Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Belanger, Ashley (6 January 2023). "Wikipedia admin jailed for 32 years after alleged Saudi spy infiltration". Ars Technica. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia: Government Agents Infiltrate Wikipedia, Sentence Independent Wikipedia Administrators to Prison". DAWN. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.