A Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul has been sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in prison by Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal (Terrorism) Court in Riyadh following her two-and-a-half-years in pre-trial detention. Her sister announced this.
With credit for the time she has already served, she could be released in two months, her family said via social media. She still has a 5-year travel ban.
Now, #FreeLoujain hashtag is trending on social media.
“She was charged, tried and convicted using counter-terrorism laws,” her sister, Lina al-Hathloul, said in a statement. “My sister is not a terrorist, she is an activist. To be sentenced for her activism for the very reforms that MBS and the Saudi kingdom so proudly tout is the ultimate hypocrisy,” she said, referring to the Saudi crown prince by his initials.
French ministry of foreign affairs calls for the release of @LoujainHathloul
Pen America said- “Our 2019 #FreedomToWrite honoree Loujain Al-Hathloul has been convicted and sentenced in an outlandish, sham proceeding in Saudi Arabia. Our full statement:
Similarly, “Conviction and 5yrs 8 month sentence handed down to prominent women’s rights campaigner #LoujainAlHathloul, already arbitrarily detained for 2 ½ years, is also deeply troubling. We understand early release is possible, and strongly encourage it as matter of urgency”, UN Human Rights said.
Amnesty Condemns sentencing of Loujain, said “Loujain is a peacful human rights activist, but the Saudi governemnt treat her as a terrorist”.
Background updates from Amnesty International:
In 2018, Saudi Arabia arbitrarily arrested 13 women’s rights activists for exercising their right to freedom of expression, association and assembly, including Loujain al-Hathloul, Samar Badawi, Nassima al-Sada, Nouf Abdulaziz and Maya’a al-Zahrani, Amnesty International reported.
On 28 December, Loujain al-Hathloul was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison, after her case was transferred to Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) in November. She was charged with “spying with foreign parties” and “conspiring against the kingdom” for promoting women’s rights and calling for the end of the male guardianship system in Saudi Arabia. Amnesty International has documented how trials conducted before the SCC are intrinsically unfair, in gross violation of the international right to fair trial.
The Court has suspended 2 years and 10 months of Loujain al-Hathloul’s term and backdated its start to May 2018, meaning she only has three months left to serve.
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