Saudi Arabia activist sentenced to 11 years in prison for 'support' of women's rights

Source: The Guardian

Saudi Arabia activist sentenced to 11 years in prison for ‘support’ of women’s rights

Manahel al-Otaibi, who promoted female empowerment on social media, was arrested under anti-terror laws

Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington
Wed 1 May 2024 01.08 BST
Last modified on Wed 1 May 2024 16.05 BST

A young women’s rights activist in Saudi Arabia was secretly sentenced to 11 years in prison by an anti-terrorism court after being arrested for “her choice of clothing and support for women’s rights”.

Saudi officials confirmed in a statement to the United Nations high commissioner for human rights that Manahel al-Otaibi was sentenced on 9 January for what the Saudi government called “terrorist offences”.

Al-Otaibi, who was sentenced in a secret hearing before the counter-terrorism court, was found guilty of charges related to a Saudi anti-terror law that criminalises the use of websites to “broadcasts or publishes news, statements, false or malicious rumors, or the like for committing a terrorist crime”.

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Among other charges, Otaibi was accused by Saudi authorities of using a hashtag – translated to #societyisready – to call for an end to male guardianship rules. Her sister, Fouz al-Otaibi was also accused of not wearing decent clothing but was able to flee Saudi Arabia before her arrest.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/may/01/manahel-al-otaibi-saudi-arabia-womens-rights-activist-sentenced-11-years-prison-anti-terrorism-court