saudi Arab sentenced in secret 29 year old women’s rights The activist was jailed for 11 years for “her choice of clothing and support of women’s rights”.
He was arrested in November 2022 social media Manhail al-Otaibi was found guilty of “terrorist crimes” in a secret trial on January 9 this year, following posts advocating liberal reforms in the country. anti terrorism law Saudi Arab Criminalizes the use of social media to disseminate or publish news, statements, false or malicious rumors or to commit terrorist offences.
The sentence was disclosed in late January in a response to UN Special Rapporteurs about her case, while her family has yet to receive access to her court documents or the evidence presented against her.
Al-Otaibi, a fitness instructor, posted videos on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat calling for an end to Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system, under which women must seek men’s permission for travel, marriage and living arrangements.
She was also accused of publishing videos of herself wearing “indecent clothes” and “going into shops without wearing an abaya”. His sister Fawzia al-Otaibi faces similar charges, but fled to Saudi Arabia out of fear of arrest after being called for questioning in 2022.
Criticizing the sentence, Amnesty International Called it a “horrible and cruel injustice”.
“From the moment she was arrested, Saudi Arabian authorities have subjected her to persistent ill-treatment, ranging from unlawful detention for supporting women’s rights to disappearance for more than five months, while in secret from her was being interrogated, tried and sentenced, and repeatedly beaten. By other people in prison,” said Bisan Fakih, Amnesty International’s campaigner on Saudi Arabia.
“With this sentence the Saudi authorities have exposed the hollowness of their much-vaunted women’s rights reforms in recent years and demonstrated their steadfast commitment to silencing peaceful dissent.”
Criticizing the arrest, Lina Alhatloul, a member of the rights group ALQST, said: “Manhel’s confidence that she can act with freedom could have been a positive advertisement mohammed bin salmanThe much-publicized story of leading women’s rights reforms in the country.
“Instead, by arresting her and now imposing this outrageous sentence on her, Saudi authorities have once again exposed the arbitrary and contradictory nature of their so-called reforms and their continued determination to control the women of Saudi Arabia.”
Amnesty and ALQTS pointed to the irony in al-Otaibi’s arrest, noting that she was an early believer in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reform promises.
In a 2019 TV interview with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, she described “radical changes” taking place in the Saudi Kingdom, including dress code reforms, and said she felt free to express her views and wear what she liked. Do it. Crown Prince’s announcements. The groups said he was arrested for exercising these freedoms.
His case follows the arrest of several activists who were arrested for criticizing Saudi rules or following dissidents who did so on social media. This also includes Salma Al-ShahabFormer doctoral student at the University of Leeds, who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence.
The second is Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a US citizen who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for tweets he posted abroad. Saudi Arabia released him in March 2022, although he faced a travel ban, preventing him from returning to his home in Florida.