Riyadh drops death penalty for woman activist

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia is no longer seeking the death penalty against woman activist Israa al-Ghomgham, who has been in jail since December 2015, rights groups said Friday.

Riyadh has faced increasing pressure over the detention of Ghomgham for her involvement in anti-government protests in the east of the kingdom. "News that Saudi Arabia's authorities have dropped their outrageous call for Israa al-Ghomgham to be executed comes as a huge relief," said Amnesty International's Middle East campaign head Samah Hadid.

However, "she is still facing a ludicrous prison sentence simply for participating in peaceful demonstrations," she added. There was no official Saudi comment on her case.