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Saudi Arabia Sentences Loujain al-Hathloul to 5+ Years in Prison for Her Activism

HeadlineDec 28, 2020

In Saudi Arabia, authorities have sentenced prominent women’s right activist Loujain al-Hathloul to five years and eight months in prison on charges of agitating for change, pursuing a foreign agenda and using the internet to harm public order. Al-Hathloul was arrested in 2018 after leading a movement to lift Saudi Arabia’s ban on female drivers and overhaul its male “guardianship” system. Her family says she has been held in solitary confinement and was subjected to abuse, including electric shocks, flogging and threats of sexual violence. Al-Hathloul’s sister says authorities may suspend part of her sentence, making her eligible for release in two months. She’s also banned from traveling for five years.

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