Saudi Arabian women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul is reunited with her family. Thank you! | View in browser

Dear John,

You may have already seen the exciting news — women human rights defender and University of British Columbia graduate Loujain al-Hathloul has been released from prison in Saudi Arabia! After nearly three years in prison, 31-year-old Loujain is now finally reunited with her family.  

Thanks to people like you around the world, including more than 30,000 Amnesty supporters in Canada, we’ve kept up the pressure on Saudi authorities to release Loujain and other women human rights defenders jailed for their activism.   

You can share this good news on social media here >> 

  

While we celebrate Loujain’s release, we must continue to advocate for her freedom. Loujain will not be free until her sentence is quashed, until her torturers are held to account, until she and her family are removed from a travel ban, and until she is protected from harassment and threats and is able to safely continue her peaceful human rights work.  

We must also continue to press Saudi authorities to release all jailed human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience, including women’s rights activist Nassima al-Sada.   

Loujain should never have been forced to spend a single second behind bars. Thank you for your support and for continuing to take action in solidarity with courageous women human rights defenders like Loujain.  

In solidarity, 

Jackie Hansen  
Gender Rights Campaigner 
Amnesty International Canada 
 

---

More about Loujain:

One of the most celebrated women human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia, Loujain al-Hathloul was a leader in the campaign for Saudi women to have the right to drive. She also advocated against the male guardianship system and had planned to set up frontline services to support survivors of gender-based violence.  

In May 2018, instead of being celebrated for her courageous and impactful activism, Loujain was punished along with other prominent women human rights defenders. She was arrested and detained, subjected to torture and sexual harassment, held in solitary confinement, denied access to her family for months at a time, and charged with terrorism-related offenses. 

On December 28, 2020, Loujain was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison - partially suspended by two years and ten months - by the Specialized Criminal Court (anti-terrorism court). She was charged with “spying with foreign parties” and “conspiring against the kingdom” for peacefully advocating for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. 

Thank you for supporting the call for Loujain's release, and for continuing to advocate in solidarity with other women human rights defenders who remain in prison, like Nassima al-Sada.