Saudi Arabia Releases Women’s Rights Activist Loujain Alhathloul from Prison

(UPI) — Saudi Arabia on Wednesday released one of the country’s most prominent women’s rights activists, Loujain Alhathloul, nearly three years after she was imprisoned on charges she violated an anti-terrorism law.

Her super, Lina Alhathloul, announced her release on Twitter.

“Loujain is home !!!!!!” she posted along with a screenshot of the two women on a video call.

“Loujain stands for any citizen who speaks out with love for their country and wants the best for their country,” Lina Alhathloul said in a statement released to U.S.-based human rights and anti-war group CODEPINK.

A Saudi judge sentenced Loujain Alhathloul, 31, to five years and eight months in prison in December, though she’d been detained since her May 2018 arrest. The judge suspended part of the sentence and gave her credit for time served, leading to her release Wednesday.

She was previously found guilty on multiple anti-terror charges, including agitation, pushing a foreign agenda, using the Internet to harm public order and cooperating with criminal individuals and entities.

Loujain Alhathloul has been a vocal advocate for human rights and an outspoken critic of Saudi Arabia’s record on the issue. She was arrested along with other activists for promoting campaigns to give Saudi women the legal right to vote.

The Saudi government announced in 2019 that the ban on women driving without permission would be lifted.

CODEPINK welcomed news of Loujain Alhathloul’s release, calling her a “fearless women’s rights activist.”

“We stand with Loujain and are inspired by her bravery and audacity” national co-director Ariel Gold said. “Loujain teaches us all to campaign from the heart and never give up the goals of freedom, justice, and equality.”