Loujain al-Hathloul: Saudi women’s rights activist’s appeal rejected by court

Loujain al-Hathloul: Saudi women’s rights activist’s appeal rejected by court

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The 31-year-old was sentenced in December to five years and eight months in prison on what critics described as politically motivated charges, but was released in February after serving more than 1,000 days behind bars. She called for her sentence to be overturned and a five-year travel ban lifted.

On her way to the appeal hearing on Wednesday, Hathloul told reporters she hoped the specialized criminal court in Riyadh would change her sentence – her first public comment since her arrest in 2018. However, the court ruled that the original sentence should apply.

“The judge rejected the appeal and upheld the sentence to five years and eight months imprisonment which includes three years probation and five years travel ban during which Loujain could not leave Saudi Arabia at any time,” she said in a statement. campaign. .

Hathloul was detained in May 2018 during a rally aimed at other well-known opponents of the kingdom’s since repealed law banning women from driving. She also challenged other legal restrictions on Saudi women enforced under the kingdom’s restrictive male guardianship system.

She told her family that she had been tortured and sexually abused in prison – allegations that Riyadh had repeatedly denied – and that her detention had been condemned by the United Nations and international rights groups.

According to her campaign, Hathloul’s sentence includes restrictions signed by her, stating that she “cannot speak in public about her case or disclose any details regarding the prison and that she cannot be released at public level either. “

In a statement in December, Hathloul’s family said she would remain on probation for three years, during which she could be arrested for any illegal activity.

Her release in February comes less than a week after the White House called on the kingdom to release political prisoners, including women’s rights activists. US President Joe Biden has vowed to put Saudi Arabia under pressure to improve his legal record, indicating a departure from the Trump administration, which has been reluctant to criticize the kingdom’s opposition to the kingdom.

The terror court found Hathloul guilty on charges of violating national security, attempting to change the Saudi political system, and using her relations with foreign governments and rights groups to ‘push the Kingdom to change its laws and systems. to change ‘, according to a complaint from her family. published in December.

UN experts called the charges against Hathloul ‘untrue’. In a six-page indictment for Hathloul’s case, seen by CNN, a section titled “crimes committed” activism against the kingdom’s restrictive laws on male guardianship, as well as contact with foreign journalists and diplomats.
Saudi women's empowerment
According to the documents, the charges also point to a series of alleged confessions, which state that Hathloul admitted that he had applied to the UN, as well as that he was in contact with the human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

For much of her imprisonment, Hathloul explained her hardships to her parents during their prison visit. The allegations were later made public by three of her siblings living outside the kingdom, and were confirmed by the court testimony of other female activists.

According to Hathloul, she was sexually assaulted and tortured while in custody, including watercraft, beatings and electricity, according to several statements made by her family and supporters.

Saudi authorities have repeatedly denied allegations of torture and sexual abuse in their prisons.

According to her family, Hathloul went on hunger strike twice – in protest of her imprisonment and because she was denied communication with her family members.

Hathloul’s sister, Lina al-Hathloul, who was a driving force behind an international campaign for her release, shared a photo on Wednesday of her sister who is in court and responding to the verdict.

“The international community should be furious about this judgment and really take time to study their conscience as they continue to do business with Saudi Arabia,” Lina Al-Hathloul was quoted as saying by the campaign on Wednesday.

CNN’s Mostafa Salem reports from Abu Dhabi, Hamdi Alkhshali from Atlanta and Eliza Mackintosh from London. Tamara Qiblawi and Kara Fox contributed to this report.

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