Rights groups are calling for the release of a Saudi woman who they say was sentenced to 11 years in prison for supporting women's rights and the way she dressed.
Manahel al-Otaibi, a 29-year-old fitness instructor and women's rights activist, was sentenced during a “secret hearing” before Saudi Arabia's Specialized Criminal Court on January 9, 2024, Amnesty International and the human rights organization said. London-based Saudi ALQST in a joint statement on Tuesday (30).
However, the decision to arrest al-Otaibi only came to light weeks later, after the Saudi government responded to a request for information about the case from UN special rapporteurs, according to the groups.
Al-Otaibi “is accused of terrorist crimes and was arrested in accordance with the law, under a legally valid warrant,” the Saudi Arabian mission in Geneva said in a January letter, in response to the UN request.
Amnesty and ALQST claim that the charges against Al-Otaibi relate “solely to his choice of clothing and the expression of his views online, including calling on social media for an end to Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system, the publishing videos of herself wearing 'indecent clothes' and 'going to shops without wearing an abaya'.”
Her sister, Fawzia al-Otaibi, faces similar charges, but managed to flee Saudi Arabia after being summoned for questioning in 2022, they said.
The Saudi Arabian authorities “must immediately and unconditionally release” Manahel al-Otaibi, as the decision to arrest her “directly contradicts the authorities’ narrative on reform and women’s empowerment”, highlight Amnesty and ALQST.
“Manahel’s conviction and 11-year prison sentence is a terrible and cruel injustice,” said Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International Saudi Arabia campaigner.
“With this ruling, the Saudi authorities have exposed the hollowness of their much-touted women’s rights reforms in recent years and demonstrated their frightening commitment to silencing peaceful dissent,” he said.
After being detained, al-Otaibi was subjected to “physical and psychological abuse” in Malaz prison in Riyadh, according to the groups.
She reported to her family in April that she was being held in isolation and had a broken leg from physical abuse, they noted. A CNN could not independently verify these claims.
A CNN contacted the Saudi government, but received no response.
In its letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Saudi mission in Geneva stated that “no person is detained in Saudi Arabia for exercising their rights and freedoms”.
Furthermore, he highlighted that “state institutions have a legal obligation to ensure that all individuals are treated fairly, regardless of their religion, race, sex or nationality”.
Restriction on women
Although Saudi authorities have eliminated some of the restrictions imposed on women under the male guardianship system, “many discriminatory features remain in place,” human rights groups assessed.
“The long-awaited Personal Status Act of 2022, which was supposed to be a major reform, actually serves to codify, rather than abolish, many restrictive elements of the system, including issues of marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance,” they pondered.
Al-Otaibi “ironically” believed in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's promise of reforms, “but was arrested on November 16, 2022 for exercising exactly these freedoms”, highlighted Amnesty and ALQST.
Al-Otaibi's sentence comes “amid an intensified crackdown on freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia, including online expression”, they pointed out.
Over the past two years, Saudi courts have “imposed long prison sentences on dozens of individuals for their expression on social media, including many women,” they concluded.
Source: CNN Brasil
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