Loujain al-Hathloul

Loujain al-Hathloul born on 31 July 1989 a graduate of the University of British Columbia is a Saudi women’s rights activist, a social media figure, and a political prisoner.

She is well known for her role in the women’s drive movement and for standing against the male guardianship system. On 1 December 2014, she was arrested and detained for 73 days after an attempt to cross the border in her car from the UAE to Saudi Arabia and charges related to defying the female driving ban in the kingdom.

Loujain Al-Hathloul was kidnapped from UAE in March 2018 and deported to Saudi Arabia where she was arrested for a few days then put under a travel ban. Al-Hathloul was detained again on the eve of 15 May 2018, along with, Aisha al-Mana, Aziza al-Yousef.

CURRENT STATUS:

As of December 2018, al-Hathloul was in jail with her fellow activists at Dhahban Central Prison. According to her brother Walid al-Hathloul, al-Hathloul was by February 2019 held in al Ha’ir prison. On 1 March 2019, the office of Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor announced that the preliminary investigation had been completed and they would be preparing to try al-Hathloul and other activists in court for undermining state security. On 13 March 2019, the trial began, although the charges were not specified and reporters and diplomats were barred from attending. In April 2019, a hearing on her case was postponed without a reason being given. As of May 2020, her trial has been indefinitely postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has raised concerns over her