Women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul has been released from prison in Saudi Arabia. This was reported by the BBC TV channel.
The human rights defender was released on Wednesday, February 10. The publication reports that al-Khatlul is prohibited from communicating with the media and leaving Saudi Arabia. The al-Khatlul family said the activist plans to challenge the restrictions imposed on her. “We want to achieve real justice. For Lujine to be completely, unconditionally free,” said her sister Lina.
In addition, al-Khatlul wants to bring to justice those who tortured her in prison, in particular the former adviser to the Crown Prince Saud al-Qahtani.
The activist was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison late last year on charges of “trying to destabilize the kingdom.” Prior to this, al-Khatlul actively advocated for women to be allowed to drive. She was arrested in May 2018, several months before women in Saudi Arabia were still allowed to drive. Despite the adoption of the law, neither al-Khatlul nor the other activists were released. They have repeatedly reported torture in prison.