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

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

Upon entering Wednesday’s appeals hearing, Hathloul told reporters he expected Riyadh’s specialized criminal court to change his sentence, his first public comments since his arrest in 2018. The court, however, ruled that the original sentence should be upheld.

“The judge denied the appeal and upheld the sentence to five years and eight months in prison including 3 years probation and 5 years travel ban during which Loujain cannot leave Saudi Arabia on any moment, “according to a statement from his campaign. .

Hathloul was arrested in May 2018 during a trial that led to other well-known opponents of the kingdom’s law banning driving. He had also challenged other legal restrictions on Saudi women applied under the kingdom’s restrictive male guardianship system.

He told his family that he had been tortured and sexually abused in prison – allegations that Riyadh has repeatedly denied – and that his detention was condemned by the United Nations and international law groups.

Hathloul’s sentence, according to her campaign, includes restrictions signed by her stating that “she cannot speak publicly about her case or reveal any details about the prison or celebrate her release on a public level.”

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

Her release in February came less than a week after the White House called on the kingdom to release political prisoners, including women’s rights activists. U.S. President Joe Biden has vowed to pressure Saudi Arabia to improve its rights record, marking an exit from the Trump administration, which has been reluctant to criticize the kingdom’s crackdown on dissent.

The terrorism court convicted Hathloul of charges of damaging national security, attempting to change the Saudi political system and using his relations with foreign governments and rights groups to “pressure the Kingdom to change its laws and systems,” according to a sheet burden of his family. published in December.

UN experts have called the allegations against Hathloul “false”. In a six-page indictment for the Hathloul case, seen by CNN, a section titled “Crimes Committed” includes activism against the kingdom’s restrictive male guardianship laws, along with contact with foreign journalists and diplomats.
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The charges were also based on a series of alleged confessions, according to documents, which state that Hathloul admitted to having applied for a job at the UN along with confessing to being in contact with human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

For much of his imprisonment, Hathloul detailed his difficulties to his parents during his visits to the prison. These accusations were later made public by three of his brothers living outside the kingdom and were corroborated by the judicial testimony of other activists.

Hathloul said she was sexually assaulted and tortured while in custody, including waterboarding, flogging and electrocution, according to multiple statements from her family and supporters.

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

According to his family, Hathloul has gone on hunger strike twice, in protest of prison conditions and because he was denied communication with his relatives.

Hathloul’s sister, Lina al-Hathloul, who has been pushing for an international campaign for her freedom, shared a photo of her sister going to court on Wednesday and reacting to the sentence.

“The international community should be outraged by this trial and really take time to study its conscience as they continue to negotiate with Saudi Arabia,” Lina Al-Hathloul said on Wednesday, according to the campaign.

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

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