Women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was released from prison after 1,001 days, but her family is noting that it shouldn’t yet be called “freedom.”
Hathloul, 31, was arrested in May 2018 on charges that have been described as “politically-motivated.” According to CNN, she was detained during a “sweep that targeted well-known opponents of the kingdom’s since-rescinded law barring women from driving.”
Her sister tweeted a photo of the smiling activist on Wednesday, announcing that “Loujain is at home!”
Hathloul’s imprisonment drew international attention from celebrities and human rights groups. After she had been imprisoned for a year, members of her family who were living abroad decided to shift their awareness campaign to the United States while her family in Saudi Arabia remained under a travel ban.
The news of her release comes after President Biden announced last week that his administration will halt “U.S. support for offensive operations by the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen.”
As reported by
Reuters, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki then avoided answering a question about imposing sanctions “on Saudi Arabia for the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.”
Psaki commented generally on the Biden administration’s strategy regarding the kingdom’s human rights issues. “We, of course, expect Saudi Arabia to improve its record on human rights,” Psaki said. “That includes releasing political prisoners such as women’s rights advocates from Saudi jails.”
Along with other female activists, Hathloul has told Saudi judges that she was “tortured and sexually assaulted by masked men during interrogations,” according to
The Guardian. The prisoners testified to being “caned, electrocuted and waterboarded,” and some were “forcibly groped and threatened with rape.” Hathloul’s parents said that they saw bruising on her when they visited her. She also carried out hunger strikes to protest her detainment.
In August 2019, her family
acknowledged she had turned down a deal to be released from prison because it would require her to deny that her torture took place. Earlier this week, the family announced on
Twitter that a Saudi appeals court rejected Hathloul’s claims of torture.
While detained, Hathloul was the recipient of multiple awards, including the 2019 PEN America award, which she received along with three other women’s rights activists. CNN reports that these women are still imprisoned.
Hathloul’s family said in a statement in December that she will be on probation for the next three years, which could result in her being “arrested for any perceived illegal activity.” She will also not be allowed to travel for five years.
“We’re excited (about her release), but the fight for justice is not over yet,” Hathloul’s brother, Walid al-Hathloul, told CNN before the announcement. “We would have to work very hard to secure justice for Loujain, but we’re very delighted for this news.”
The family also noted that Hathloul’s release isn’t yet “freedom.”
“Any release that does not include an independent investigation of the charges, does not include lifting the travel ban, does not include dropping the charges, is not freedom,” said Walid al-Hathloul. “Therefore we’re far away from justice.”
