Tag: Loujain al-Hathloul

Good news from Saudi


Loujain al-Hathloul released today

It is good to report that the Loujain al-Hathloul was released from prison in Saudi today (10 February 2021).  Amnesty and other human rights groups have campaigned on her behalf for some time following her arrest, imprisonment, including time spent in solitary confinement.  She alleges being tortured in prison which included the use of electric shocks, flogging as well as being sexually assaulted.  These allegations are entirely believable since torture is routinely practised in the kingdom.

Loujain was one of the campaigners arguing for allowing women to drive, which they now can do, but this did not absolve her from arrest.  Her sentence has been suspended and she is not allowed to talk about her time in prison or to leave Saudi.  If she does so, she faces being rearrested.

Two events might have combined to achieve this result.  A concerted campaign by human rights campaign groups to secure her release has led to continuous bad publicity for the kingdom and for Mohammed bin Salman.  The arrival of President Joe Biden who is noticeably cooler towards the kingdom and has already suspended arms sales is likely to have been a factor.  However, Grant Liberty is among those arguing that pressure must continue to secure other releases of people held in prisons after spurious trials.  They point out that the country still carries out arbitrary arrests; people are tortured; there are many executions; children are treated as adults by the courts; women’s rights are ignored; there is no free speech and human rights organisations are banned in the country.

Sources: Grant Liberty, al Jazeera, the Guardian

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Human rights activist faces lengthy jail term in Saudi


The human rights activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, faces a lengthy jail term in Saudi Arabia for advocating the right of women to drive a car and for campaigning for the end of the male guardianship system.

In 2018, she was abducted and arrested for defying the ban on women driving and for her campaigning against the male guardianship system.  She was held for many months incommunicado, and in prison was beaten, sexually assaulted, tortured with electric shocks and waterboarded.  Human rights groups, including Amnesty, and the UN Human Rights Committee, have urged for her to be released.

The latest news is that at a hearing in a terrorism court, the judge said the sentence would be announced on Monday.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman claimed when he first assumed power, that he would reform the justice system in that country.  There has been little sign of that since with arrests of opponents, routine use of torture, harsh crackdowns on anyone opposing the monarchy and widespread use of the death penalty.  He faces little pressure to change however, with the UK and other western countries all too ready to fawn over the prince in their desire to secure lucrative arms deals.  Astonishingly, the UK government was active behind the scenes in securing a place for Saudi on the UN’s Human Rights Council.

See also the Grant Liberty website.

 

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