Saudi Activist Sentenced To 11 Years Jail Term Over Choice Of Clothing
Human rights groups are calling for the release of a Saudi woman, who they say has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for supporting womenâs rights and for the way she dressed.Manahel al-Otaibi, a 29-year-old fitness instructor and womenâs rights activist, was sentenced during a âsecret hearingâ before the kingdomâs Specialized Criminal Court on January 9, 2024, Amnesty International and the London-based Saudi rights organization ALQST said in a joint statement Tuesday.However, the decision to imprison al-Otaibi only surfaced weeks later, after the Saudi government replied to a request by United Nations Special Rapporteurs for information about the case, the watchdogs say.Al-Otaibi âstands accused of terrorist offences and was arrested in accordance with the law under a legally valid warrant,â Saudi Arabiaâs mission to Geneva said in a letter in January, in response to the UN request.Amnesty and ALQST allege Al-Otaibiâs charges are related âsolely to her choice of clothing and expression of her views online, including calling on social media for an end to Saudi Arabiaâs male guardianship system, publishing videos of herself wearing âindecent clothes,â and âgoing to the shops without wearing an abayaâ.âHer sister, Fawzia al-Otaibi, faces similar charges but was able to flee Saudi Arabia after she was summoned for questioning in 2022, they said.Saudi Arabiaâs authorities âmust immediately and unconditionallyâ release Manahel al-Otaibi, as the decision to imprison her âdirectly contradicts the authoritiesâ narrative of reform and womenâs empowerment,â Amnesty and ALQST said.âManahelâs conviction and 11-year sentence is an appalling and cruel injustice,â said Bissan Fakih, Amnesty Internationalâs Campaigner on Saudi Arabia. âWith this sentence the Saudi authorities have exposed the hollowness of their much-touted womenâs rights reforms in recent years and demonstrated their chilling commitment to silencing peaceful dissent.âFollowing her arrest, al-Otaibi was subjected âto physical and psychological abuseâ in the Malaz Prison in Riyadh, the groups said. She told her family in April that she was being held in solitary confinement and had a broken leg as a result of physical abuse, Amnesty and ALQST said. CNN is unable to independently verify these claims.CNN has reached out to the Saudi government for comment on the accusations.In its letter to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the kingdomâs mission to Geneva said that âno person is held in detention in Saudi Arabia for exercising their rights and freedoms,â and that âstate institutions have a legal obligation to ensure that all individuals are treated fairly irrespective of their religion, race, sex or nationality.âWhile Saudi authorities have removed some of the restrictions on women under the male guardianship system, âmany discriminatory features remain in place,â the watchdogs said.âThe long-awaited 2022 Personal Status Law, which was supposed to be a major reform, in fact serves to codify rather than abolish many restrictive elements of the system, including matters of marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance,â Amnesty and ALQST said.Al-Otaibi âironicallyâ believed in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmanâs pledge for reforms, âyet she was arrested on 16 November 2022 for exercising exactly these freedoms,â Amnesty and ALQST said.Al-Otaibiâs sentencing comes âamid an intensified crackdown on free speech in Saudi Arabia, including online expression,â the groups said. Over the last two years, Saudi courts have âhanded down lengthy prison terms on dozens of individuals for their expression on social media, including many women,â they said.https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/02/middleeast/saudi-womens-rights-activist-sentenced-intl/index.htmlMynd44 Lalasticlala