- Loujain al-Hathloul arrested in May 2018 and sentenced to nearly six years in prison in December.
- She has released from a Saudi prison after nearly three years behind bars.
- “Loujain is at home !!!!!!”, his sister Lina tweeted.
Saudi women rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul released from a prison after nearly three years, her family said on Wednesday.
31-year-old Hathloul arrested in May 2018 and sentenced to nearly six years in prison in December. She was label as “spurious” by UN human rights experts under the general anti-terrorism law.
However the court issued a five-year travel ban. Also suspended her sentence for two years and ten months, most of which she served.
“Loujain is home !!!!!!”, tweeted her sister Lina and posted a close-up photo of Hathloul’s face.
Another sister, Aliya, said in a separate post that Hathloul was with her parents in Saudi Arabia, adding that “this is the best day of my life”.
The White House said earlier this month that President Joe Biden, who has closer ties to the Kingdom. He is expecting Saudi Arabia to improve its human rights record. Also including the release of Saudi women rights activist and other political prisoners.
Hathloul, who has jailed alongside several women rights activists, has charged with trying to change the Saudi political system and undermining national unity. Human Rights Watch called their decision a “travesty of justice”.
Human rights groups and her family allege that Hathloul, which campaigns for women’s right to drive and an end to the royal guardianship system in the kingdom, has been the target of harassment, including electric shocks, water flights, whips and sexual assault.
Saudi officials have denied the allegations. The Saudi appeals court has rejected Hathloul’s claim that she was tortured in prison, citing a lack of evidence, his family said Tuesday.
Jamal Khashoggi’s assasination
Since the murder of the notorious Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 by Saudi agents, which tarnished the image of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s legal record has been under serious scrutiny around the world. The prince has denied ordering the murder of the media columnist.
