Osama Khalid
Osama Khalid | |
|---|---|
 Khalid in 2016 | |
| Born | 19 January 1994[1] |
| Nationality | Saudi Arabian |
| Occupations |
|
| Criminal charges | Swaying public opinion |
| Criminal penalty | 32 years |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
Osama Khalid(Arabic:أسامة خالد,romanized:ʾUsāma Khālid,pronounced[ʔuˈsaːmaˈxaːlid];born 19 January 1994) is a Saudi Arabian medical doctor and aWikipediaadministrator, who was sentenced to a 32-year prison sentence in 2020.[2]According tohuman rightsactivists, 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 organizationDAWNand Beirut based digital rights groupSMEX,the arrest of Osama is speculated to be part of a crackdown on Wikipedia administrators.[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
[edit]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 2020. TheSpecialized Criminal Court of Saudi Arabia,the counter-terrorism court of the country, initially sentenced him to five years in Al-Haer prison inRiyadhin summer of 2020. In September 2022, the court increased his sentence to 32 years for the same charges.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Saudi Arabia: Birthday in jail: Saudi Wikipedian Osama Khalid Remains Unjustly Imprisoned on his 30th Birthday".Access Now.Archivedfrom the original on 28 January 2024.Retrieved28 January2024.
- ^"Saudi Arabia jails two Wikipedia staff in 'bid to control content'".The Guardian.5 January 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 16 January 2023.Retrieved28 January2024.
- ^"Saudi Arabia 'infiltrated' Wikipedia to control content, activists say".Middle East Eye.Archivedfrom the original on 1 April 2023.Retrieved28 January2024.
- ^"Activists say Saudi government 'infiltrated' Wikipedia, jailed two admins".Archivedfrom the original on 28 January 2024.Retrieved28 January2024.
- ^Belanger, Ashley (6 January 2023)."Wikipedia admin jailed for 32 years after alleged Saudi spy infiltration".Ars Technica.Archivedfrom the original on 19 January 2023.Retrieved28 January2024.
- ^"Saudi Arabia: Government Agents Infiltrate Wikipedia, Sentence Independent Wikipedia Administrators to Prison".DAWN.16 January 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2023.Retrieved28 January2024.
External links
[edit]
- Osama Khalid's user pageon Wikipedia