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”.
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.
Another sister, Maryam, is a known women’s rights advocate who was detained, held, and eventually released in 2017 for protesting guardianship rules.
Rights groups say al-Otaibi has been subjected to severe abuse, beginning with her forcible disappearance for five months from November 2023 to April 2024. Once she was back in contact with her family, she said she was held in solitary confinement and had broken a leg after being subjected to physical abuse. Saudi officials denied the claims.
Her case follows a slew of similar cases in which Saudi women, in particular, have been subjected to draconian sentences for using social media accounts to express themselves. They include women such as Salma al-Shehab, sentenced to 27 years, Fatima al-Shawarbi, sentenced to 30 years, Sukaynah al-Aithan, sentenced to 40 years, and Nourah al-Qahtani, sentenced to 45 years.
In the related articles - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/27/saudi-arabia-un-womens-rights-commission
The world should issue sanctions. We don’t need their oil, anyway.
And then they’re spending billions to try sportwashing their bloody image. Isn’t much cheaper to just be decent in human rights? Then people would like you even without your billions
Let’s see: a bunch of people who get multi-million “stipends” a year whose goal in life is either to live the big life, plus 2/3rds of the citizens getting hired by the government onto “management” positions with an average workweek of (ONE) 1 hour… and you want them to do, what? stop acting like uber-spoiled brats?
Change would require like, actual work, or something. They’re easily two generations into being spoiled, the reality check will be so hard it’s hard to imagine.
But they’re our ally, so nothing bad happened. Please remove this from your memory for the sake of a peaceful Middle East. Thanks! -USA
Why weren’t her male guardians arrested for not properly controlling her? I mean, honestly, the law she was protesting says she can’t be responsible for herself then she shouldn’t be punished for her actions.
Selective enforcement probably, especially towards a known women’s right advocate.
They were pretty brave to go through with these sort of protests, but at the same time, Saudi Arabia is just not the country to do this sort of thing. It is a harsh religious dictatorship that only respects the richest of its citizens. The best thing to do is to leave, and encourage others to do so. I know that’s not an easy thing to do, but it’s certainly better than to spend the rest of your life being beaten in a prison cell.
This reminds me of the futility of White Rose.
