The sentences of the supporters varied between half a year and a year.
Saudi Arabian the court has sentenced 12 football supporters to prison sentences for singing. Sentences vary from half a year to a year. The human rights organization reports on the matter Human Right Watch (HRW).
According to HRW, police arrested supporters who had been singing Shia Muslim religious songs. According to the organization, Shia Muslims in Saudi Arabia have been the target of systematic discrimination, hate speech and violence by the government.
The arrests came after a video of a January match between Al-Safa and Al-Bukiryah went viral on social media.
Two supporters of Al-Safa were sentenced to one year in prison and fined 10,000 rials, or just under 2,500 euros. The remaining ten supporters received fines of around 1,250 euros and a one-year sentence, half of which was suspended.
“Saudi Arabia should immediately annul the verdict, which was based on the peaceful expression of happy supporters,” HRW said.
Saudi-Arabian the human rights situation is the subject of frequent criticism. The country is the only applicant for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
HRW gave strong criticism to the International Football Association, Fifa, due to the latest events.
“The imprisoning of football fans for chants is just one more reason why Fifa’s decision to allow Saudi Arabia to be the sole applicant is embarrassing and dangerous,” HRW’s Saudi Arabia expert Joey Shea comment.