The hashtag #FreeSuhail took Saudi Twitter by storm after a local social media luminary was arrested for posting a "scandalous" photo of himself in which he's seen topless and in shorts at a beach in the coastal city of Jeddah.
After initially being charged for wearing shorts in public, 23-year-old Suhail Al-Jameel claimed authorities changed his charges to "electronic crimes" because he was "taking photos of nudity." Al-Jameel, who's openly gay, shared this information on his Snapchat profile, then retweeted a post by one of his followers that states his sentence could reach three years in jail.
The actual charges and punishment are yet to be declared.
Part of the Saudi government's preparations for the foreign tourism initiative was the implementation of certain public decency laws, which came into effect in September 2019 — the time tourist visas were premiered.
In terms of dress code, the decency laws state "both men and women are asked to dress modestly in public, avoiding tight fitting clothing or clothes with profane language or images. Women should cover shoulders and knees in public."
However, according to Al-Jameel, he was charged with full on nudity, which led him to ask "how am I nude if I am wearing shorts on a hot beach [sic]?"
According to an interview with the social media star, who has over 170,000 followers on Twitter, he's been imprisoned previously but has had his sentence reduced by more than half.
In the video posted on YouTube in January of this year, Al-Jameel confirms his imprisonment, which was caused by leaked footage of himself in an "indecent pose with another man."
According to him, the photo was a setup to get him in trouble. However, memorizing the Quran halves a prison sentence and doing other tasks asked of you also helps reduce time in jail. Al-Jameel did both and was out way earlier than his original three-year sentence.
As the young man faces uncertainties about his imprisonment for the most recent case, online users shared their diverse and quite different opinions on Twitter.
"Wearing shorts has become a felony in Saudi Arabia," one user wrote, while another exclaimed in disbelief, writing "Is it possible because of shorts!! Because of shorts!! What's this regression?"
Many are urging authorities and people to have mercy on the young man
"A guy in shorts is a bigger threat than actual criminals?"
Some pointed out double-standards as tourists are permitted more leniency than locals
Despite inundating comments of support, some wondered why a Saudi would go against the obvious rules
"I'm not against Suhail or his sexual orientation, but what does he want exactly? We all know the laws in this country and that 'public' displays are banned. You can't do that in public the same way you can't do drugs in public. These things are banned here. You want to do them between you and yourself? Go right ahead, they're not going to come to your house and jail you."