Saudi Arabia Sentences Women’s Rights Activist to 5+ Years
HAVANA TIMES – Saudi Arabian authorities sentenced prominent women’s right activist Loujain al-Hathloul to five years and eight months in prison. The charges: agitating for change, pursuing a foreign agenda and using the internet to harm public order.
Al-Hathloul’s arrest came in 2018 after leading a movement to lift Saudi Arabia’s ban on female drivers and overhaul its male “guardianship” system. Her family says she has suffered solitary confinement and subjected to abuse. The torture included electric shocks, flogging and threats of sexual violence.
Al-Hathloul’s sister says authorities may suspend part of her sentence. That would make her eligible for release in two months. Additionally, she is banned from traveling for five years.