Neither were foreign journalists. She was arrested by Saudi agents at the border — and imprisoned for 73 days. An exceptional young Saudi herself, she married another such person in 2014. Saudi Arabia was scheduled to host the G-20 summit on November 21 and 22. Loujain al-Hathloul was sentenced on Monday to nearly six years in prison under a vague and broadly-worded law aimed at combating terrorism, according to state-linked media. Freedom of speech is not recognized by the Saudi government. Testing this, Loujain tried to drive from the UAE into Saudi Arabia. During this imprisonment, no harm came to her. Prominent Saudi women’s rights activist and University of British Columbia (UBC) graduate Loujain al-Hathloul, 31, was convicted by a Saudi court on Monday on charges which include seeking to change the Saudi political system and harming national security. Hathloul rose to prominence in 2013 when she began publicly campaigning for women’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia. Loujain al-Hathloul, arrested in 2018, has been on hunger strike for a month against conditions of prolonged detention. The government was keen to portray Loujain as a threat to national security. The UAE is part of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as is Saudi Arabia. From the executive branch of the U.S. government, there has been little. Possibly, Loujain al-Hathloul will be released in a matter of months. Some high-placed Americans are puzzled by the Saudi government’s insistence on keeping the activists jailed. Loujain al-Hathloul has already been in pre-trial detention and has endured several stretches of solitary confinement. Zhang Zhan et Loujain al-Hathloul ne se connaissent pas, et pourtant elles ont beaucoup de choses en commun. No charge. Since then, she’s reportedly been violently tortured and sexually harassed. He was also lashed. In response to this, she did what political prisoners have long done, have long resorted to: She went on hunger strike, for six days. What harm would it have done to let the prisoners go when COVID-19 struck? Along with six of his men, she said, Mr. Qahtani tortured her all night during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. Some of them are in prison, as she is. Saudi authorities have denied torture allegations. Posted on January 3, 2019, at 1:03 p.m. My parents then saw that her thighs were blackened by bruises. Quite possibly — to say it again — they want to keep the prisoners as object lessons, warning off others from dissent. This is how Mohammed bin Salman has tried to paint his female prisoners, the rights activists. “Loujain must be released, and as Joe Biden has said, it’s time for the rest of the world to treat Saudi Arabia as the Pariah it is until it ends these sickening abuses.” Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul sentenced to five and a half years in prison Wire Services/ The Telegraph. WATCH: Loujain al-Hathloul, a women's rights activist in Saudi Arabia, has been sentenced to six years in prison under the country's broadly-worded counterterrorism law. È Later, the family learned that this was a dark, dark time for her in prison. A weekly digest on business and economics from an NR sensibility. The family and supporters are calling for Loujain's immediate and unconditional release and inviting the public to … There could hardly be a stronger person, says her brother Walid. These “basics” seem like faraway dreams to a great many around the world. Because, goes the consensus, the government wanted to show who was in charge. It’s all a lie, of course. He got his start in this line of work while a student at the University of Texas in Austin. In March 2019, ten months after her arrest, Loujain al-Hathloul was granted a trial — though the procedure was not worthy of the name. Loujain al-Hathloul, who was arrested just before the driving ban was lifted, was charged with undermining the kingdom in a case that supporters decried as a political persecution. Loujain al-Hathloul, a women’s rights activist in Saudi Arabia, has been sentenced to six years in prison under the country’s broadly-worded counterterrorism law. 12.5k Followers, 16 Following, 32 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from لجين هذلول الهذلول (@loujainhathloul) Loujain al-Hathloul in a 2014 image made from video, driving before it was legal for women in Saudi Arabia to do so. Loujain al-Hathloul si trova in carcere da 900 giorni. 28 Dec 2020 UK report calls out Saudi Arabia over women’s rights abuses Loujain was a graduate student in the UAE, studying for a master’s in sociology on the Abu Dhabi campus of the Sorbonne. Get our conservative analysis delivered right to you. One of these is Raif Badawi, who was imprisoned in 2012. Family of jailed Saudi activist al-Hathloul to appeal sentencing Saudi court sentenced al-Hathloul to five years and eight months in prison on terrorism-related charges. Les diplomaties française et allemande ont demandé la libération rapide de la militante saoudienne des droits humains Loujain al-Hathloul, condamnée lundi à … Her continued imprisonment was likely to be a point of contention in relations between the kingdom and the incoming presidency of Joe Biden. In this same period, Fahad, too, was kidnapped. Saudi agents put her on a private jet and transported her back to her home country. El Tribunal de Sanciones de Riad condenó a la activista por “servir a una agenda externa al reino usando Internet (…) con el fin de perjudicar el sistema público, además […] Perhaps we can have another paragraph on this horrible subject: Saud al-Qahtani, a top royal adviser, was present several times when Loujain was tortured, she said. Leïla Slimani signe une tribune pour réclamer la libération de Loujain al-Hathloul La militante pour les droits des femmes en Arabie saoudite est … Her family is hoping for the best, although dictatorships are good at dashing hopes. There is little they can do of a public nature. Saudi women’s right to drive activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, is standing trial on Wednesday after spending nearly 10 months in prison on charges of supporting “hostile elements”. What did she do? “It does not surprise me that Loujain became an activist,” says Walid. Tomorrow we will show you the videos.”. It was transferred from the criminal court to that “special court,” for terrorists et al. According to the best reports obtainable, Saudi agents handcuffed and blindfolded him, and put him on a plane back home. Greensboro, NC (27407) Today Sunny to partly cloudy. Editor’s Note: The below is an expanded version of a piece published in the current issue of National Review. Loujain al-Hathloul (Courtesy of the family of Loujain al-Hathloul) The story of Loujain al-Hathloul, political prisoner T here could hardly be a stronger person, says her brother Walid. Saudi activist al-Hathloul appears in court, UN calls for release. Even so, al-Hathloul’s prison sentence will end in March 2021, since the court has suspended 34 months of her sentence and has calculated the prison verdict from May 2018 onwards, when she was first detained by … Because they can. The charges against Loujain were along these lines: contacting human-rights organizations; contacting foreign journalists; contacting foreign diplomats; contacting Saudi activists abroad; and applying for a job at the United Nations. In 2016, a year after she became one of the first women to stand for municipal election in Saudi Arabia, she was among 14,000 signatories on a petition to King Salman calling for an end to the guardianship system. La sua colpa? He managed to talk to her, by phone, in June 2018. He forced Loujain to eat with them, even after sunrise. Die saudische Frauenrechtlerin Loujain Al-Hathloul wurde 2018 verhaftet. “The moment I get out,” she said to Walid, “I’m going to find you a woman to marry.” Walid answered, “Loujain, this is no time to talk about romance. It is hurting the government’s reputation around the world. As a girl, she cared a lot about people and questioned injustices around her: in particular, inequality between boys and girls, and men and women. We are speaking of Loujain al-Hathloul, one of the most prominent political prisoners in Saudi Arabia. Aver guidato un’auto. She was among at least a dozen other women’s rights activists arrested, and Saudi media tarred them as traitors. Loujain’s parents were not allowed to visit her until August, three months after her arrest. “Loujain al-Hathloul has already spent more than 900 days in detention, during which she endured torture, sexual harassment and other forms of ill-treatment, was held in solitary confinement and denied access to her family. My strong, resilient sister blamed it on the air-conditioning and tried to assure my parents that she would be fine. She was arrested for the first time in 2014 while attempting to drive across the border from the United Arab Emirates — where she had a valid driver’s license — to Saudi Arabia. Leader of Canadian Province Urges Biden Admin to Reconsider Keystone XL Pipeline, Apple Spent $90,000 Lobbying Lawmakers on Uyghur Forced Labor Bill, Google Threatens to Leave Australia in Dispute over Payments to News Outlets, Cruz Accuses Biden of Prioritizing Foreigners over Americans by Rejoining Paris Climate Accord, Conservative Nationalism and U.S. Foreign Policy. The pandemic would have been a nice, face-saving excuse for the regime. “They were just young, creative people, trying to make stuff,” writer Kirk Rudell wrote of activist Loujain al-Hathloul and her comic husband Fahad Albutairi. A Twitter thread about one of Saudi Arabia’s most well-known women’s rights activists has been widely shared, bringing fresh attention to her detention. Maybe the summit would be an opportunity for the prisoners’ supporters to showcase their plights? Walid provides an example of her kindness and selflessness. Hathloul went on hunger strike in October — her second in 2020 — to protest against the conditions of her detention. Get Kevin D. Williamson’s newsletter delivered to your inbox each Tuesday. “We have some of them with videos,” he said. The European Parliament has repeatedly called on Saudi Arabia to let the prisoners go. UBC graduate facing up to 20 years in Saudi prison for women’s rights advocacy, supporters say. We’ll deliver The Capital Note to your inbox each weekday. He is known as a liberal reformer, with some justification. Loujain al-Hathloul in a 2014 image made from video, driving before it was legal for women in Saudi Arabia to do so. Indeed, he was one of the very first stand-up comedians in Saudi Arabia. November 25 was an important day in the Loujain al-Hathloul case. Ross Lord reports on the campaign for her freedom, al-Hathloul's connection to Canada, and the push for Ottawa to intervene – Dec 28, 2020, UBC grad sentenced to 6 years in Saudi prison for defying ban on women driving, UBC grad sentenced to 6 years in Saudi prison for defying ban on women driving – Dec 28, 2020, WestJet Boeing 737 MAX flight grounded at Calgary airport after ‘potential fault’ warning, Biden removes Trump’s Diet Coke button as part of Oval Office overhaul, UBC grad detained in Saudi Arabia – May 29, 2018, Canadian Michael Kovrig gets first consular visit of 3rd year in Chinese detention, Canada adds 206 new COVID-19 deaths while officials consider mandatory hotel quarantine, Trump returns to family business empire hit hard by pandemic, Premiers tell Trudeau they ‘want to go to war’ with U.S. over Keystone XL: sources, Trudeau expresses ‘disappointment’ over Keystone XL in 1st phone call with Biden, Justin Trudeau mulls mandatory hotel quarantine for returning travellers, Calgary man finds website showing live private camera feeds, Biden’s focus: ‘America returns’ rather than ‘America first’, Biden’s first call to foreign leader is with Trudeau, Metallurgical coal exploration in Alberta unearths anger, Bernie Sanders’ practical U.S. Inauguration Day wardrobe leads to meme frenzy, Trudeau faces pressure to change Biden’s mind on Keystone XL, UBC graduate facing up to 20 years in Saudi prison for women’s rights advocacy, supporters say. The rest of the family is in Saudi Arabia, and barred from leaving the country. But she felt compelled to do it. The videos never materialized — even manufactured. Loujain al-Hathloul, who was arrested just before the driving ban was lifted, was charged with undermining the kingdom in a case that supporters decried as a political persecution. One of his men answered, “No one is above us, not even God.”. And now, her family, who … She studied French literature. When Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul was arrested two years ago after speaking publicly about a woman's right to drive, her case was widely censored by the local government. They did it in Istanbul. Al-Hathloul was sentenced to a six-year prison term Monday. There are six siblings altogether: two brothers, four sisters. Please read our Commenting Policy first. From local media, Walid al-Hathloul, abroad, found out about the verdict before Loujain did. Maybe the government would spring Loujain beforehand, as a goodwill gesture? Saudi women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison. Who is Loujain al-Hathloul? To show them who’s boss. Charges against her include seeking to change the Saudi political system and harming national security. The cruelty — indeed, sadism — of the Saudi regime is plain. Loujain Alhathloul (@loujainhhathloull) • Instagram photos and videos She was always asking questions that weren’t quite safe to ask. Her family said she was forced to abandon the hunger strike after two weeks because her jailers were waking her every two hours. In November 2020, her case was transferred from regular criminal court to a special terrorism court. The evidence presented by the prosecution includes social media posts that al-Hathloul made on Twitter and Instagram relating to her human rights activism, including tweets supporting campaigns for women driving and to abolish the male guardianship system, and relating to her previous arrest in 2014 when she drove into Saudi Arabia from the UAE. For the first 10 months of her detention, she was held without charges or trial, and incommunicado with no access to her family or lawyer during the first three months. Cinco años y ocho meses de cárcel fue la condena que recibió la destacada activista defensora de los derechos humanos saudí Loujain Alhathloul, detenida en mayo de 2018. Saudi activist Loujain Al-Hathloul [AFP/Getty Images] December 18, 2020 at 3:52 pm Saudi Public Prosecutor on Wednesday demanded the maximum prison sentence possible for … Rights groups say at least three of the women, including Hathloul, were held in solitary confinement for months and subjected to abuse including electric shocks, flogging and sexual assault. What a cruel and depraved regime, the kind of regime that pocks the world. Sometimes Mr. Qahtani laughed at her, sometimes he threatened to rape and kill her and throw her body into the sewage system. At this point, the case was in a regular criminal court, not the “special court” that would come later. Saudi rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul starts hunger strike in jail, family says The 31-year-old has been imprisoned since May 2018 for her women's rights activism #FreeLoujain She was judged guilty in a notorious “special court,” ostensibly reserved for terrorists and other dangerous characters. Loujain AlHathloul is on trial in Saudi Arabia at the Specialised Criminal (terrorism) court for her activism. It was not a right to be demanded by those subjects, as if they were citizens. What Do We Really Know about Saudi Arabia? Rose Troup Buchanan BuzzFeed News Reporter. Updated 3:15 p.m. Loujain is the fourth child in that lineup. 1.3m Followers, 988 Following, 2,071 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Tara Milk Tea (@taramilktea) She was detained for two nights, released on the 15th. Why crack down on the activists at this juncture? Their sister Lina noted, with great disgust, that Loujain was being punished for advocating some of the very reforms that the Saudi government now boasts of: the right of women to drive; the loosening of “male guardianship.” So, why have they done this to Loujain and the others? When they released her, they put her on a travel ban and gave her a warning: Stay absolutely quiet. 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