Detained Women's Rights Defenders

As Saudi Arabia prepared to lift its long-standing ban on women drivers in June 2018, authorities launched an unprecedented crackdown on women human rights defenders with the May 15th arrests of prominent activists. Authorities and government-aligned media then tried to discredit five of the activists as traitors through a public smear campaign.

Over the following three weeks, authorities arrested twelve other human rights defenders, including both women and men. Two additional women were arrested in August.

The women highlighted here had been specifically advocating for women’s human rights and for the lifting of the driving ban. 

Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi

Detained Since: June 24, 2018.

Charges: ​Suspicious contacts with "foreign entities". Providing support to "foreign enemies." Coordinated activity to undermine the security, stability and social peace of the kingdom. Contacting international organizations, foreign media and other activists. Producing something that harms public order, religious values, public morals, the sanctity of private life, or authoring, sending, or storing it via an information network.

Sentence: Not yet sentenced.

Biography: Sometime between June 21 and June 24, 2018, Saudi authorities detained Professor Hatoon al-Fassi in apparent retaliation for her activism on women’s rights. 

Dr. al-Fassi is an Associate Professor of women’s history at King Saud University, writer, and prominent women’s rights activist. She is the author of Women in Pre-Islamic Arabia: Nabatea (2007) and of a newspaper column on contemporary social affairs. Dr. al-Fassi has been a leader in the renowned “Baladi” campaign, which gained women’s suffrage in 2011, and organized women’s full participation in municipal elections for the first time in 2015. She was a key actor in the effort to lift the ban on female drivers in Saudi Arabia. After the ban was officially lifted on June 24, 2018, Dr. al-Fassi was one of the first women to drive, and she had planned to take journalists for a drive shortly after. At around the time the government lifted this ban, authorities began detaining women’s rights activists, including Dr. al-Fassi, for allegedly having contacts with “foreign entities” and for providing support to “foreign enemies”.

Starting in November 2018, alarming reports from Amnesty International and other human rights organizations stated that the detained women’s rights activists have been subjected to torture by electrocution and flogging, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. In February 2019, the Detention Review Panel, an independent group of British Parliamentarians and lawyers founded in 2018, published a report describing the treatment of the detained activists as “cruel, inhumane, and degrading.” In March 2019, leaked medical reports of at least 60 political prisoners, including women activists, indicate that they have been severely mistreated and subjected to torture.

On March 13, 2019, Dr. Al-Fassi and nine other women’s rights activists appeared in the criminal court in a closed-door trial for the first time since their arrest. Saudi Arabia has not made the charges public; however, reports indicate Dr. Al-Fassi and the other women activists are being tried on charges for allegedly communicating with international organizations and foreign media and promoting women’s rights. On March 27, following the second hearing, the court released three of the activists. On April 3, the remaining activists, including Dr. Al-Fassi appeared in court and were apparently denied bail. On May 2, Dr. Al-Fassi and three other women’s rights activists were temporarily released. Dr. Al-Fassi still faces trial and remains at risk of being sentenced to prison. 

Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi has been granted TEMPORARY RELEASE.

Advocate: Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA)

Advocacy Partner: Scholars at Risk

Eman al-Nafjan

Detained Since: May 15, 2018.

Charges: Suspicious contact with foreign parties. Coordinated activity to undermine the security, stability and social peace of the kingdom. Contacting international organizations, foreign media and other activists. Producing something that harms public order, religious values, public morals, the sanctity of private life, or authoring, sending, or storing it via an information network.

Sentence: Not yet sentenced.

Biography: Prominent Saudi Arabian activist Eman Al Nafjan fell victim to the Presidency of Security’s crackdown when she, alongside nine other women’s rights activists, was arrested on May 15, 2018. Al Nafjan had maintained an active Twitter account (@saudiwoman) and online blog (Saudiwoman’s Weblog), informing her readers about daily life, culture, and human rights violations in Saudi Arabia. Known for organizing the October 26th Women to Drive Movement in 2013, she has also made her identity known to the authorities by repeatedly violating the driving ban herself. In a more recent show of activism, Al Nafjan signed a 2016 petition urging King Salman to rescind the country’s male guardianship system.

Although it is known that Al Nafjan and her fellow detainees were transferred to Jiddah from the country’s capital in May, their exact location is unknown. According to the Associated Press, the activists are being held incommunicado and have not been granted access to lawyers. Media outlets in support of the Saudi government have frequently referred to them as “traitors.” Meanwhile, estimates from legal experts indicate that this group may receive up to 20 years in prison and possibly charges of treason. Whereas many Saudi activists have moderated their criticisms of the state, particularly due to coercion or imprisonment, Al Nafjan represented one of the last vocal dissenters in the country’s community of activists. 

Eman Al Nafjan has been granted TEMPORARY RELEASE. 

Advocacy Partner: Reporters Without Borders

Nouf Abdelaziz al-Jerawi

Detained Since: June 6, 2018.

Charges:  Coordinated activity to undermine the security, stability and social peace of the kingdom. Contacting international organizations, foreign media and other activists. Producing something that harms public order, religious values, public morals, the sanctity of private life, or authoring, sending, or storing it via an information network.

Sentence: Not yet sentenced.

Biography: The Saudi Arabian authorities raided the home of journalist and activist Nouf Abdelaziz Al Jerawi and arrested her on June 6, 2018, in continuation of its crackdown on female activists in the country. Al Jerawi was well regarded for her support of constitutional reform in Saudi Arabia, the Arab Springs, and human rights protections, which she wrote about in her online blog. She was well-known for being a women’s rights and “right-to-drive” activist. Prior to her arrest, Al Jerawi had received warnings in 2016 from the Interior Ministry, which claimed to be monitoring her actions, and was harassed and intimidated online. In one of her last demonstrations of resistance to the Saudi state, the journalist expressed support for the activists who had been arrested for speaking out against the male guardianship system and driving ban on women.

According to the human rights organization ALQST, Al Jerawi was taken to an unknown location after being arrested. She is now being held in al-Ha-ir Prison in Riyadh. Multiple human rights organizations, including the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), have called on the Saudi government to release Al Jerawi and her fellow prisoners.

Advocacy Partner: Reporters Without Borders

Nouf Abdelaziz al-Jerawi has been granted CONDITIONAL RELEASE.

Aziza al-Yousef

Detained Since: May 17, 2018.

Charges:  Coordinated activity to undermine the security, stability and social peace of the kingdom. Contacting international organizations, foreign media and other activists. Producing something that harms public order, religious values, public morals, the sanctity of private life, or authoring, sending, or storing it via an information network.

Sentence: Not yet sentenced.

Biography: Aziza al-Yousef is a woman human rights defender, retired professor, mother of five and grandmother of eight. She is a prominent women’s rights activist who has been working on women’s rights in Saudi Arabia for over two decades. She has repeatedly participated in defying the driving ban and has been harassed and interrogated for her human rights work. In 2016, she delivered a petition signed by 15,000 people to the Royal Court, demanding an end to the male guardianship system.

She has also been a key organizer of the women driving campaign, notably in 2013, when she helped share videos of women defying the ban. She has a teleconference with the Interior Minister, which was publicized, where she emphasized the desire of both men and women to end the driving ban. In December of that year, she was arrested for driving, and was released to the custody of her husband who was forced to sign a statement that swore him to preventing his wife to drive.

In May 17, 2018, al-Yousef was one of the several women's rights defenders who was arrested and has since been held without charge. According to testimonies obtained by Amnesty International, a total of ten human rights defenders were tortured, sexually abused, and subjected to other forms of ill-treatment during their first three months of detention, when they were held in an informal detention facility in an unknown location.

Aziza al-Yousef has been granted TEMPORARY RELEASE.

Advocate: Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)

Advocacy Partner: Amnesty International

Samar Badawi

Detained Since: July 30, 2018.

Charges: No official charges.

Sentence: Not yet sentenced.

Biography: Samar Badawi is a prominent human rights activist and mother of two, who has been repeatedly targeted and interrogated by Saudi Arabian authorities, solely for her human rights activism. She is also the sister of imprisoned blogger Raif Badawi. From 2008 – 2010, Samar challenged the male guardianship system when she tried leaving her abusive father and was charged with “disobedience.” In 2010  Samar filed a “Adhl” case against her father to remove him as her guardian so that she could marry human rights lawyer, Waleed Abu al-Khair. She was arrested for her outstanding arrest warrant for “disobedience” and spent more than six months in prison.

In 2011 Samar started legal actions to ensure women’s right to vote. She filed numerous lawsuits and used the Arab Charter for Human Rights to challenge the court’s rulings. In 2011 and 2012 Samar joined the Women’s Driving Campaign and challenged the governments legal basis for rejecting her driver's license application. She helped other women when they were arrested or faced court proceedings for defying the driving ban. These courageous acts led to her receiving the 2012 International Women of Courage Award by the US State Department.  

In 2014 Samar participated in side events at the UN Human Rights Council and then went to the US and met with Senators and the Secretary of State. Because of this human rights work the Saudi government imposed a travel ban on her. Samar was the target of several arbitrary arrests, interrogations, and harassment throughout 2016 and 2017.

On July 30, 2018 security forces arrested Samar Badawi. She is being held incommunicado and without charges. 

Advocate: Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA)

Advocacy Partner: Amnesty International

Loujain al-Hathloul

Detained Since: May 15, 2018

Charges: Promoting women’s rights; calling for the end of the male guardianship system; contacting international organizations, foreign media, and other activists.

Sentence: five years and eight months in prison. 

Biography: Loujain al-Hathloul is one of the most prominent and outspoken women human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia. She is well-known for her campaigning against the driving ban and the campaign to end the male guardianship system. In 2014, she was detained for 73 days after she attempted to drive into Saudi Arabia from the United Arab Emirates. Loujain al-Hathloul also went on to stand for election in Saudi Arabia in November 2015 – the first time women were allowed to both vote and stand in elections in the state. However, despite finally being recognized as a candidate, her name was never added to the ballot.

Saudi officials detained Loujain al-Hathloul on March 15, 2018. For the first 10 months of her detention she was held without charges or trial. Loujain was detained along with 11 other women rights activists since May 2018. She was held incommunicado with no access to her family or lawyer during the first three months of her detention. During that time, Loujain was beaten, waterboarded, given electric shocks, sexually harassed, and threatened with rape and murder. On her first trial session on March 13, 2019, she was charged with promoting women’s rights; calling for the end of the male guardianship system; contacting international organizations, foreign media, and other activists, including contact with Amnesty International. Her case was transferred to Saudi Arabia's Specialized Criminal Court on Wednesday, November 25, 2020. Loujain al-Hathloul was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison, and with the Court suspending 2 years and 10 months of her term and backdated its start to May 2018, Loujain al-Hathloul will serve three months in prison.

Loujain al-Hathloul has been granted CONDITIONAL RELEASE.

Advocate: Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)

Advocacy Partner: Amnesty International

Updates:

• UN human rights experts are urging Saudi Arabia to immediately and unconditionally release all women human rights defenders. These women include Dr. al-Fassi and Samar Badawi (October 12, 2018, OHCHR).
• Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi was granted the Middle East Studies Association's 2018 Academic Freedom Award (November 16, 2018, Middle East Studies Association).
• Several Saudi Arabian activists, including a number of women, who have been arbitrarily detained without charge in Dhahban Prison, have reportedly faced sexual harassment, torture and other forms of ill-treatment during interrogation. Samar Badawi is among the group detained in Dhahba (November 20, 2018, Amnesty International).
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to release women's rights activist Samar Badawi when the two leaders spoke at the G20 Summit (December 1, 2018, CBC).
• Fellow Saudi women's rights activist Omaima Al Najjar profiled Eman Al Nafjan for Al Jazeera (December 10, 2018, Al Jazeera).
• The UN Committee against Torture urged Saudi authorities to free more than a dozen detained rights activists, alleging some had been tortured or mistreated during interrogation. Eman Al Nafjan and Samar Badawi were among the activists named (December 12, 2018, Al Jazeera).
• The U.S. Senate passed S.J.Res.69, which calls on the government of Saudi Arabia to release Samar Badawi and other detained women's rights activists. (December 13, 2018, Congress.gov)
• Saudi Arabia's human rights commission is investigating the alleged torture of women's rights activists including Samar Badawi and Eman al-Nafjan. However, the investigation is unlikely to lead to criminal charges (December 18, 2018, Al Jazeera).
• A cross-party group of British parliamentarians and international lawyers has asked to visit detained female activists in Saudi Arabia to investigate allegations that they are being tortured and denied legal representation and family visits. Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi, Samar Badawi, Eman Al Nafjan, and Nouf Abdelaziz Al Jerawi are among the women in question (January 1, 2019, Al Jazeera).
• More than 200 scholars signed a letter to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman calling for the release of Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi and other detained women's rights activists (January 18, 2019, Middle East Studies Association).
• Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called on Saudi Arabia to allow independent monitors to meet detainees, including women's rights activists who were allegedly tortured (January 25, 2019, Al Jazeera).
• The Washington Post Editorial Board wrote an Op-Ed encouraging Congress to stand up for imprisoned Saudi women's rights activists. Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi and Samar Badawi's cases were cited (January 26, 2019, Washington Post).
• The Washington Post Editorial Board wrote an Op-Ed decrying the torture of imprisoned Saudi women's rights activists including Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi, Samar Badawi, Eman Al Nafjan, and Nouf Abdelaziz Al Jerawi, and advocating for accountability for the perpetrators (February 10, 2019, Washington Post).
• A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced a resolution Wednesday calling on Saudi Arabia to “immediately and unconditionally” release detained women's rights activists including Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi and Aziza al-Yousef (February 13, 2019, Washington Post).
• Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Representative Gerald Connolly (D-VA) sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging him to call for the immediate release of Aziza al-Yousef. They also requested Secretary Pompeo seek an update on Ms. al-Youssef's condition and whether she has access to appropriate legal consul [March 1, 2019, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA)].
• Thirty-six states at the UN Human Rights Council have criticized Saudi Arabia for detaining women's rights activists, and demanded their release (March 7, 2019, BBC).
• Aziza al-Yousef and Eman Al Nafjan, alongside fellow women's rights defender Loujain Al-Hathloul, will face their first hearings on March 13, 2019 before the Specialized Criminal Court (March 12, 2019, Gulf Centre for Human Rights).
• Ten Saudi Arabian women stood trial on Wednesday, March 13 for the first time since they were detained last year. The group included Aziza al-Yousef, Eman al-Nafjan and Dr. Hatoon Al-Fassi (March 13, 2019, Al Jazeera).
• Eman Al Nafjan, Nouf Abdelaziz Al Jerawi, and fellow detained Saudi women's rights defender Loujain Al-Hathloul have been granted the 2019 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award (March 14, 2019, PEN).
• The One Free Press Coalition, which is comprised of a dozen leading news organizations including TIME, Reuters, the Associated Press, Forbes, and HuffPost included Eman Al Nafjan on its first-ever 10 Most Urgent list, which identifies 10 journalists around the world who represent the most severe examples of abuses to press freedom or cases of injustice (March 15, 2019, TIME).
• According to American intelligence reports and others briefed on her situation, Eman Al Nafjan tried to kill herself last year after being subjected to psychological torture (March 17, 2019, New York Times).
• Nine Senators wrote a letter to Saudi King Salman, calling on him to release detained women's rights defenders including Dr. Hatoon Al-Fassi, Eman al-Nafjan, Nouf Abdelaziz Al Jerawi, and Aziza al-Yousef (March 17, 2019, Office of Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)).
• German journalist Suzanne Koelbl profiled Eman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef, and fellow detained women's rights defender Loujain Al-Hathloul in Der Spiegel. (March 25, 2019, Der Spiegel)
• The trial of Dr. Hatoon Al-Fassi, Eman al-Nafjan, Nouf Abdelaziz Al Jerawi, and Aziza al-Yousef resumed on Wednesday, March 27. Once again, diplomats and media were not permitted to attend (March 27, 2019, Reuters).
• Eman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef, and fellow detained women's rights defender Ruqayya al-Mohareb were granted temporary release. However, their charges have not been dropped and their release is conditional on their attendance at their trials until a final decision is reached (March 28, 2019, Reuters).
• According to leaked medical reports that are understood to have been prepared for King Salman, political prisoners in Saudi Arabia are said to be suffering from malnutrition, cuts, bruises and burns. The prisoners examined included Dr. Hatoon Al-Fassi and Samar Badawi (March 31, 2019, The Guardian).
• Aziza al-Yousef and Eman al-Najfan were told in their court appearance on April 3 their next court date would take place after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which coincides with early June. Dr. Hatoon Al-Fassi and Nouf Abdelaziz Al Jerawi were also present in court (April 3, 2019, Washington Post).
• Salah al-Haidar, a dual U.S.-Saudi citizen and the son of Aziza al-Yousef was detained in recent days alongside at least six other writers and activists. (April 5, 2019, Washington Post)
• The April 17th hearing in the trial of 11 Saudi women's rights activists including Dr. Hatoon Al-Fassi, Eman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Youssef, and Nouf Abdelaziz Al Jerawi was postponed to an unspecified date for "private reasons" (April 17, 2019, The Guardian).
• Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi and three other detained women's rights defenders were granted temporary release on the condition that they continue to appear in court (May 2, 2019, Reuters).
• Loujain al-Hathloul, Eman al-Nafjan, and Nouf Abdelaziz Al Jerawi were awarded the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write award for 2019 at the 2019 PEN Gala (May 22, 2019, PEN America).
• The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to approve and send to the House floor for consideration House Resolution 129 condemning Saudi imprisonment and abuse of female activists. Loujain al-Hathloul, Aziza al-Yousef, and Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi were referenced in the Resolution (May 22, 2019, Al Jazeera).
• On July 15, 2019 the House of Representatives passed H. Res. 129 Condemning the Government of Saudi Arabia's continued detention and alleged abuse of women's rights activists. 
• Human rights defenders wished imprisoned Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul a "happy" 30th birthday - the second she has spent behind bars since being jailed in 2018 (July 31, 2019, The New Arab).
• The Saudi government offered to release Loujain al-Hathloul if she would deny that she had been tortured. She refused (August 14, 2019, The Washington Post).
• Eman al-Nafjan was awarded the Reporters Without Borders Prize for Courage for her years-long struggle against Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system (September 13, 2019, Middle East Eye).
• Thirteen UN human rights experts joined together to urge freedom for Loujain al-Hathloul after 500 days in prison. (September 27, 2019, OHCHR)
• A group of states criticized Saudi Arabia's human rights record during the 29th meeting of the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council (September 23, 2019, Item 8 - General Debate, Chapter 2, Australia).
• Women's rights campaigner Loujain al-Hathloul is due in court Wednesday, March 11, 2020 after being held for almost two years, and has been subjected to spells in solitary confinement since January (March 9, 2020, Amnesty International).
• Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) sent a letter to the Saudi Arabian Ambassador regarding the welfare of detained women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul (June 23, 2020, Press Release U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff).
• On November 25, 2020, appearing weak and shaking uncontrollably, Loujain Al-Hathloul went before a Saudi judge to learn her case has been transferred to a special court for terrorism and national security crimes (November 26, 2020, NY Times)
• Loujain al-Hatloul was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison, and with the Court suspending 2 years and 10 months of her term and backdated its start to May 2018, Loujain al-Hathloul will serve three months in prison (December 28, 2020, Amnesty International).
• Loujain al-Hathloul was released after spending 1,001 days in prison. Saudi authorities will impose 3 years of probation and a 5-year travel ban starting the day of her release (February 10, 2021, New York Times). 
• On March 3, 2021, a Saudi court denied Loujain al-Hathloul's appeal confirming she will still be required to serve 3 years probation and a 5-year travel ban (March 10, 2021, CNN).