Live data from Hacker News

Saudi Arabia sentenced a woman to 34 years in prison for tweeting

theverge.com

41–50 of 153 posts

Re: Saudi Arabia sentenced a woman to 34 years in prison for tweeting

#41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

We don't throw people in prison for 3 decades over social media posts.

Austria nearly does. Mr. Bond. I see little difference between tweets and political parody songs.

Re: Saudi Arabia sentenced a woman to 34 years in prison for tweeting

#43

Any time you read a headline like this, replace the innocuous-sounding non-crime (“tweeting”) with “upsetting people in power.” Suddenly you’ll realise that the same kind of thing happens everywhere in the world. E.g.: Julian Assange, who’s main crime was upsetting people in power . Unless you think it’s a crime worthy of being hounded for over a decade by multiple nations’ security agencies for trying to — and faili…

The crimes he is alleged to have committed are detailed here by DOJ (during the Trump administration) and do not match your assertions.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/wikileaks-founder-julian-assa...

Re: Saudi Arabia sentenced a woman to 34 years in prison for tweeting

#44

Any time you read a headline like this, replace the innocuous-sounding non-crime (“tweeting”) with “upsetting people in power.” Suddenly you’ll realise that the same kind of thing happens everywhere in the world. E.g.: Julian Assange, who’s main crime was upsetting people in power . Unless you think it’s a crime worthy of being hounded for over a decade by multiple nations’ security agencies for trying to — and faili…

Even here in Germany, a man was harassed and had his house raided by police for tweeting a pretty insignificant insult directed at a politician[0].

[0] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/09/pimmelgate-g...

Re: Saudi Arabia sentenced a woman to 34 years in prison for tweeting

#45

What an absolute human rights disaster Saudi Arabia is. That the U.S. government continues to engage with and support that regime is all the evidence you need of our hypocrisy on the issue.

Hypocrisy or realpolitik, depending on how nuanced your worldview is.

It is realpolitik. Absolutely.

We ruthlessly engage in it, but whenever anyone else on Earth tries it, we whip out the "freedom, democracy, human rights" rhetoric.

We shouldn't be surprised when that rings hollow elsewhere in the world.

Re: Saudi Arabia sentenced a woman to 34 years in prison for tweeting

#46
post #10

What an absolute human rights disaster Saudi Arabia is. That the U.S. government continues to engage with and support that regime is all the evidence you need of our hypocrisy on the issue.

Quoted post unavailable.

Every country on earth has diplomatic relations with Saudia Arabia except Belize, the Holy See, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Nepal, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan, Western Sahara, and a few Pacific micronations. Obviously the House of Saud is evil, but it's largely impossible to have a modern society without their oil.

Re: Saudi Arabia sentenced a woman to 34 years in prison for tweeting

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We don't throw people in prison for 3 decades over social media posts.

We do if they would contain magic words that make them run afoul of the plainly unconstitutional Espionage Act

It does seem difficult balancing an open and free society with mechanisms for protecting and maintaining government secrets, and punishing those who betray those secrets.

Do you believe it is plainly unconstitutional simply because it posting to twitter involves words?

Re: Saudi Arabia sentenced a woman to 34 years in prison for tweeting

#48

Any time you read a headline like this, replace the innocuous-sounding non-crime (“tweeting”) with “upsetting people in power.” Suddenly you’ll realise that the same kind of thing happens everywhere in the world. E.g.: Julian Assange, who’s main crime was upsetting people in power . Unless you think it’s a crime worthy of being hounded for over a decade by multiple nations’ security agencies for trying to — and faili…

The crimes he is alleged to have committed are detailed here by DOJ (during the Trump administration) and do not match your assertions. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/wikileaks-founder-julian-assa...

I don't think you get the GP's point. The comment was meant to describe motivations. Obviously no one is literally charged with "upsetting people in power".

Re: Saudi Arabia sentenced a woman to 34 years in prison for tweeting

#49
post #11

Any time you read a headline like this, replace the innocuous-sounding non-crime (“tweeting”) with “upsetting people in power.” Suddenly you’ll realise that the same kind of thing happens everywhere in the world. E.g.: Julian Assange, who’s main crime was upsetting people in power . Unless you think it’s a crime worthy of being hounded for over a decade by multiple nations’ security agencies for trying to — and faili…

Not really. Tweeting your opinion is legal, leaking state secrets not so.

Are you talking about Assange? He is not being charged with leaking state secrets, because it's not against the law if you didn't steal them firsthand, especially for non-citizens outside of the country.

Re: Saudi Arabia sentenced a woman to 34 years in prison for tweeting

#50

Coming to America as well - look up Ricky Vaughn. Trial run on a deplorable, your ticket will get called eventually.

OK, I did. He told people they could legally vote by posting hashtags to twitter for specific candidates. That's an unethical thing to do even if you aren't a Nazi. Should it be against the law? Well, you might look up the reason these laws exist. Hint: probably won't make Nazis too happy.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1360816/downl...

> conspired to injure, oppress, threaten and intimidate persons in the free exercise of a right and privilege secured to them by the Constitution and laws of the United States, to wit, the right to vote, in violation of…

Post reply on HN