Saudi Arabia: CFWIJ Welcomes The News Of The Possible Early Acquittal Of Loujain Al-Hathloul By Saudi Court.
Location: Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
Date: February 9, 2021
After spending more than one thousand days in detention, activist Loujain al-Hathloul is expected to be released on Thursday, according to a tweet by her sister. Loujain was convicted by Saudi authorities for “espionage” and “conspiring” against the kingdom when her activism brought her into the limelight.
Loujain was formally arrested in December 2020, however, her detention dates back to May 2018, when she was taken into custody for her feminist activism in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi court had initially ordered Loujain to spend six years in prison for her contact with foreign governments that stemmed from her political work as a human rights advocate in the country, but international pressure led to a reduction in the sentence. With time served in detention counting towards the judgment, Loujain was supposed to be released this year in March. However, according to her sister, her acquittal date has been preponed to February 11, 2021.
During her time in prison, Loujain’s family claimed that she was tortured with direct involvement from Muhammad Bin Salman’s trusted aide Saud al-Qahtani. They also accused prison authorities of sexually harassing Loujain. Loujain’s campaign for women’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia ruffled feathers amongst power chambers, leading to her eventual arrest. This occurred just a month prior to the Crown Prince’s decision to legalize women drivers as part of his much-acclaimed modernizing project in Saudi Arabia. However, despite efforts to silence her, Loujain emerged as a symbol of resistance against the overreach of Saudi authorities, which led to international support for her case.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes Loujain’s early release and condemns the Saudi authorities for putting her through these tribulations. A woman’s right to freedom of mobility and freedom of speech are important pillars of society, that no monarch should have the power to trample upon.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
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