Saudi student Salma al-Shihab has been sentenced to a long prison term for sharing controversial posts on Twitter. He is not an isolated story. As the empire opens up socially, it expands politically.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman does not tolerate any dissent and opponents are arrested.
In Saudi Arabia, women are now allowed to drive, go out without a headscarf and perform on stage as singers. But what they are not allowed to do is express their opinions on social media. This is what Salma al-Shihab did. The head of Saudi Arabia has now been sentenced to 34 years in prison and banned from leaving the country for 34 years.