The activist has been in pre-trial detention for more than two years, a period taken into account in the sentence handed down, according to Saudi media.
Le Monde avec AFP
Saudi human rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was sentenced on Monday, December 28, to five years and eight months in prison by a court specializing in anti-terrorism cases, reported several Saudi media. She was found guilty of “various activities prohibited by the anti-terrorism law,” said online media Sabq, a representative of whom attended the hearing.
The activist has been in pre-trial detention for over two years, a period factored into the sentence, said Saudi media citing the court ruling.
Loujain al-Hathloul was arrested with other activists in May 2018, shortly before the lifting of the driving ban on Saudi women, a reform for which these women were campaigning.
Strike of the hunger
According to Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal ben Farhan Al-Saoud, Loujain al-Hathloul, 31, is accused of having been in contact with states “hostile” to the kingdom and for having transmitted confidential information. But his family say the Saudi government has provided no tangible evidence to support the charges.
Loujain al-Hathloul’s family announced on November 25 that his case had been transferred by a judge of the criminal court of Riyadh to a court in charge of terrorism cases. This specialized criminal court was created in 2008 to try terrorism cases, but it has since been widely used to try political prisoners, according to human rights organizations.
Saudi Arabia is widely criticized in the West for its human rights record. The activist began a hunger strike in prison on October 26, before interrupting it two weeks later, according to her family and Amnesty International.