untitled design

The cry of alarm from a Saudi woman to Emmanuel Macron

His piercing eyes and devastating smile hide a dark fate. At 31, Loujain al-Hathloul, activist for the right of Saudi women to drive a vehicle and for the abolition of the guardianship system, has been languishing for two and a half years in Al Hayer prison, in Riyadh, without having been tried. So much so that, on October 26, she began a hunger strike to protest against her conditions of detention. For the Saudi media, in the pay of the all-powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said MBS, the activist would have betrayed the nation and destabilized the country. However, according to the charges against her, it is her activities to defend human rights that she is accused of.

These accusations are all the more astonishing as MBS, since his accession to power in 2015, has endeavored to spread to the whole world an image of a reforming prince within this ultra-conservative monarchy. King Salman’s son was behind the historic authorization of Saudi women to drive in 2018. The following year, Saudi Arabia lightened the very strict system of “guardianship” to which women in the kingdom are subject. But the picture has been darkened by the appalling assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which has lifted the veil on the hasty methods of the crown prince against any form of criticism against him.

On the eve of the G20 organized this year in Saudi Arabia, but which is held virtually because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Lina al-Hathloul, Loujain’s sister, is raising a cry of alarm to the international community on the fate Saudi human rights activists in his country. And calls on Emmanuel Macron.

Do you have any news from your sister?

Lina al-Hathloul (left) and her sister Loujain, in December 2017 © DR

Lina al-Hathloul: We haven’t heard from Loujain since October 26, the date of my parents’ last visit. She was exhausted and said she had no interest in surviving in this prison if she was not allowed to have regular contact with her family. So she went on a hunger strike at that time to be able to see them more regularly.

Hasn’t your sister been offered conditional release?

In August 2019, the Saudi secret police came to see my sister in the cell twice. The first time, the officers offered to release her on condition that she signed a document denying that she had suffered any torture in prison. The second, he was asked to come and speak live on television to announce the same thing. But my sister always refused. Since then, no other agreement has been offered to him.

Has your sister really been tortured in prison?

When she was arrested in May 2018, my sister was sent directly to a residence that had a torture center. She was held there for three months and suffered physical abuse. They beat her, shocked her, and even went so far as to sexually abuse her. What is new in this regime is that they do this, not to extort confessions from the detainee, but to destroy him.

Isn’t it contradictory for Saudi Arabia to imprison Loujain al-Hathloul, a women’s rights activist, while his crown prince MBS presents himself as a reformer?

In my opinion, this is not contradictory, because MBS is not really a reformer. If he wants to appear like this before the international community, it is because he needs to legitimize his power in order to be accepted in the world. This is why he allowed Saudi women to drive, when there was already significant pressure from society for this right to be granted. In doing so, MBS has taken all the credit. However, the reality is that he has turned Saudi Arabia into a police state, where no one can speak out or face imprisonment. Anyone who comments on Mohammed bin Salman’s decisions is arrested. Loujain is a symbol of this, but today there are thousands of political prisoners in the country.

Why are you expressing yourself on the eve of the G20, organized this year virtually in Saudi Arabia?

The G20 is chaired this year by Saudi Arabia, and it is an opportunity for it to improve its image. Our country wants to appear as a strong, modern and open state. However, today it is dominated by arbitrariness, which it hides with the organization of grandiose events. Yet the G20 is an international conference during which the international powers discuss important issues that unite them. It should not be an opportunity for Saudi Arabia to re-legitimize itself. In my opinion, human rights must be at the heart of all these subjects.

Isn’t that just wishful thinking?

As it is no longer possible for the Saudi people to discuss directly with their government, it is a duty for the international community to make it clear to the Saudi regime that all the reforms it is putting forward are not credible. as long as the real reformers of the country are behind bars. It is today a moral duty to demand their release.

President Macron himself has publicly expressed his support for Loujain. Are you expecting something from him?

Emmanuel Macron often puts forward his “feminist” agenda at international conferences, but these words must be followed by facts. My sister Loujain campaigned for the rights of Saudi women. She put her life in danger and sacrificed her freedom. She has now been in prison for almost three years. She was tortured simply for claiming her most basic rights. Mr. Macron has the opportunity today to act for women’s rights with a simple act: demand the release of Saudi activists.

You may also like

Get the latest

Stay Informed: Get the Latest Updates and Insights

 

Most popular