March 03, 2025 01:14 pm (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Crucial to have Trump’s support, says Zelenskyy a day after fiery White House exchange | 'We're looking for peace, Zelenskyy wants Russia-Ukraine war to continue': Donald Trump after White House public spat | Volodymyr Zelenskyy refuses to apologise to Donald Trump after public spat over Russia-Ukraine war | 'Make a deal or we are out': Donald Trump tells Volodymyr Zelenskyy at White House | Himachal govt seeks fund from temple to support welfare schemes, BJP calls move 'shocking' | Injustice to opposition MLAs: Atishi writes to Delhi Assembly Speaker on suspension of 21 AAP lawmakers | We will leave for US tomorrow: Father of Indian student Neelam Shinde after urgent visa grant | 'Not joining BJP or floating any party': Abhishek Banerjee dismisses rumours of his split from TMC | Pune bus rape accused arrested after 75-hour manhunt | Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey appointed as new SEBI chief
Loujain al-Hathloul's release
Image tweeted by @LinaAlhathloul

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

| @indiablooms | Feb 11, 2021, at 10:38 pm

Riyadh/UNI/IBNS: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday released prominent Saudi women's right activist Loujain al-Hathloul from prison, her family said in a statement.

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.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.