Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Saudi Activist Who Led Campaign To Legalize Driving For Women Is Released From Jail

Saudi Activist Who Led Campaign To Legalize Driving For Women Is Released From Jail

Loujain al-Hathloul has been held for nearly three years. While she was behind bars, she became an emblem of the struggle for women's rights in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has released jailed activist Loujain al-Hathloul, best known for leading the campaign to legalize driving for women in Saudi Arabia, according to her family. She was held for nearly three years.

The 31-year-old activist was detained in May of 2018, along with several other female activists, just weeks before the Saudi government lifted the ban.

In December, a judge sentenced al-Hathloul to five years and eight months in prison, under a broad counterterrorism law. The charges against her include sharing information with foreign diplomats and journalists, and trying to change the Saudi system.

The judge suspended a portion of her sentence, and granted time served for another part, leading to her release on Wednesday. Al-Hathloul has already appealed her conviction under the counterterrorism law.


The move to release al-Hathloul is also seen as a gesture by the Saudi government to appease President Biden, who has called for a "reassessment" of the U.S.–Saudi relationship due to the kingdom's human rights record. Several other prisoners have also been released in recent days.

But al-Hathloul's case has been especially prominent. Around the time of her arrest in 2018, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was trying to establish himself as a social reformer and modernizer, opening up the kingdom to social changes. At the same time, he made it clear there was no room for any other vision of reform. He has cracked down on dissent, jailing clerics, businesspeople and activists.

While she was behind bars, al-Hathloul became an emblem of the struggle for women's rights in Saudi Arabia.

Her release this month was anticipated, and likely comes with restrictions on movement, talking to media, other activism and leaving the country, her family has said.

"For her, this is not freedom," her sister Lina told NPR from Brussels in the days before her release.

"The worst thing that could happen to her is to be forgotten once she's out and that people would just think that she's free and not talk about the case anymore," Lina al-Hathloul said. "And I think also she knows that she's a symbol now and that if she gives up, then she gives up on everyone else as well."

Abdullah Alaoudh, the research director for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at Democracy for the Arab World Now, told NPR that al-Hathloul in particular has presented a problem for the kingdom.

"Her existence shattered the whole government narrative of empowering women. That's why it's a thorn to their side," he said prior to her release. "And the story of her comes up every time in the Saudi public and the Saudi imagination as somebody who challenges the Saudi system."

Al-Hathloul emerged as a prominent activist after graduating from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and moving back to Saudi Arabia in 2013, her sister said.

She had been publicly expressing her opinion in Canada that the Saudi driving ban should be lifted, and decided to move back to the kingdom to continue the fight from there. According to her sister, she landed at the airport in Riyadh and drove home with their father filming her from the passenger's seat.

That was the first video that went viral, rocketing her to fame in Saudi Arabia, and it was just the beginning of a series of defiant moves that would bring her head to head against the powerful Saudi government.

Her impact has since grown beyond the kingdom, according to Simon Henderson, the director for the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at The Washington Institute.

Henderson said before her release that she "has become a symbol for a wide range of people, ordinary people, particularly in the West, perhaps in the Middle East as well, and that isn't going to alter."

As Saudi Arabia continues to face international pressure to improve conditions for women in the country, releasing al-Hathloul won't ease that pressure, Henderson said. He emphasized that because her release is conditional, with a 5-year travel ban and other restrictions, she will likely remain under close government watch.

"I'm sure that she will make a noise about it," he said. "And so the problem will escalate."

On al-Hathloul's case itself, her family expects her to keep fighting to prove that she and other prisoners were subjected to torture while detained – which a court in Saudi Arabia said earlier this week that she has failed to prove. She'll also push for the release of other activists.

Saudi Arabia's embassy in the U.S. did not respond to NPR's repeated requests for comment on al-Hathloul's case.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×