Loujain Al-Hathloul’s Family Expects Her Freedom within Hours

By Staff, Agencies

The family of prominent Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul expects her to be released from prison as soon as Thursday after nearly three years in jail, her sister said, as the Biden administration steps up pressure on the kingdom over its human rights record.

“Today, as I prepare my work for the week and look at my schedule, out of excitement, I’ve decided to cancel all my meetings for Thursday February 11 and take a day off,” Alia Al-Hathloul wrote on Twitter.

It’s unclear if the government has calculated the same release date as her family given the complexity of the partially suspended sentence she was given. The activist will remain under probation and a travel ban after her release while her case is appealed.

Loujain Al-Hathloul’s arrest in 2018 made global headlines, as did revelations she had been tortured in custody. She was convicted in December and sentenced to five years and eight months in jail. Part of the sentence was suspended, however, meaning she was expected to be released in February.

The partial suspension was viewed as a nod to new US President Joe Biden, who’d said he’d treat Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” over human rights concerns after it enjoyed a particularly friendly relationship with his predecessor. On Friday, the Biden administration urged the kingdom to improve its human rights record and free political prisoners including women’s rights activists.

The president’s predecessor, Donald Trump, continued to support Saudi Arabia even after its agents murdered columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the country’s Istanbul consulate 2018. Biden has threatened to stop the sales of American weapons to the kingdom and hold it accountable for Khashoggi’s killing and for the Saudi-led aggression on Yemen.