Osama Khalid (Arabic: أسامة خالد, romanized: ʾUsāma Khālid, pronounced [ʔuˈsaːma ˈxaːlid]; born 19 January 1994) is a Saudi Arabian medical doctor and a Wikipedia administrator, who was sentenced to a 32-year prison 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 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]
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 |
Arrest
editAccording 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. 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]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Saudi Arabia: Birthday in jail: Saudi Wikipedian Osama Khalid Remains Unjustly Imprisoned on his 30th Birthday". Access Now. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia jails two Wikipedia staff in 'bid to control content'". The Guardian. 5 January 2023. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia 'infiltrated' Wikipedia to control content, activists say". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Activists say Saudi government 'infiltrated' Wikipedia, jailed two admins". Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Belanger, Ashley (6 January 2023). "Wikipedia admin jailed for 32 years after alleged Saudi spy infiltration". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia: Government Agents Infiltrate Wikipedia, Sentence Independent Wikipedia Administrators to Prison". DAWN. 16 January 2023. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
External links
edit- Osama Khalid's user page on Wikipedia