Saudi Arabia releases women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul from prison after 3 yrs

Ms Hathloul, 31, who was instrumental in leading the movement demanding that women in her country be allowed to drive vehicles was detained by the authorities in 2018, just weeks before the ban was lifted.

In December 2020, she was found guilty by a court of trying to change the political system and damage public order in the country.

She was sentenced to nearly six years in a maximum security prison. However, later the court suspended two years and 10 months from her sentence.

Her release sparked euphoria among her siblings who had been vigorously campaigning overseas for her freedom causing a major embarrassment for the rulers of the kingdom, said an AFP report..

"Loujain is at home!!!!!!!" her sister Lina al-Hathloul wrote on Twitter, stated the report.

"At home after 1001 days in prison," she added, along with a picture of the smiling activist with streaks of grey hair, it added. 

However her family in the statement warned that Ms Hathloul is "not yet free" and will face numerous restrictions while on probation, including a five-year travel ban, the BBC reported.

Ms Hathloul became a symbol of the suppression of dissent in Saudi Arabia following her detention in May 2018 along with about a dozen other female activists who had also campaigned for women to be allowed to drive.

US President Joe Biden has welcomed the activist's release, saying "it was the right thing to do", the report added. President Biden has pledged to intensify the scrutiny of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's human rights record.

"Promoting and advocating for women's rights and other human rights should never be criminalised," said State Department spokesman Ned Price, adding that she should never have been jailed, said the AFP report.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who had vehemently criticised Ms Hathloul's arrested, welcomed the news. He tweeted that he "shared the relief of her family".

Ms Hathloul's family had denounced the court proceedings saying she was subjected to sham trial. They also alleged sexual harassment and torture in detention, which was dismissed by the court.

The AFP report said that a Hathloul family source has said that she was released as part of a "face-saving exit strategy" for the Saudi government after it came under intense international pressure to release her.