Saudi authorities detained at least six women’s rights defenders last year for speaking out in support of women’s rights and demanding an end to the male guardianship system. Loujain Al-Hathloul and Aziza al-Yousef and many more were arrested just one month ahead of the lift of the driving ban—a reform touted by the Saudi Kingdom as their next progressive step of reform.
We knew at Women’s March Global that we had to take action when the first wave of arrests happened, so we launched a Change.org petition calling on the United Nations to demand the release of interred Saudi activists. Close to 250,000 people have now signed our petition calling for their immediate and unconditional release.
One year later, we’ve launched the Free Saudi Women (FSW) coalition to translate and share the voices of women living in Saudi Arabia in an effort to amplify their stories and advocate for the freedom of Saudi women.
Dissent against the Saudi government is punishable by law, and the silencing of Saudi women remains extremely troubling. The stories we shared ranged from tales of horror and violence under male guardianship to those of longing for freedom.
Throughout this time period, Mohammad bin Salman was on a very public tour meeting with world leaders and celebrities sharing his vision of reform for Saudi Arabia. But behind closed doors, the stories of oppression, beheading and silencing were too numerous to ignore.
People worldwide need to understand the layers of oppression and power that keep these activists in prison. Saudi Arabia has not only tortured and abused the activists but they’ve also denied the activists right to a fair trial. Women there have little rights under the male guardianship system, but Saudi Arabia still sits on the Human Rights Council and many countries still actively sell arms and weapons to the kingdom—billions of dollars that go toward the continue murder and oppression of Yemeni people.
In October 2018, the brutal murder of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, put the violence and human rights violations committed by the Saudi government in the world spotlight. However, it did little to bring the issue of the detained Saudi women’s rights activists. Media outlets and world leaders continued to call out Saudi Arabia for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder but refrained from speaking about the women being detained.
In November 2018, reports emerged revealing the horrifying treatment of the detained women—including flogging, sexual assault and electric shocks. According to testimonies, some of the women now suffer from uncontrollable tremors and are unable to walk or stand properly. Many have also been held in solitary confinement, barred from speaking with family or legal counsel. The conditions that the women are living in meet the threshold of torture under both International and Saudi law.
WMG, as part of the FSW coalition, sent a letter this past March urging all UN Member States to take action, which resulted in a direct response from Iceland to lead 36 member states in condemning Saudi Arabia at the Human Rights Council. This was the first time ever that the UN Member States collectively condemned Saudi Arabia. We also attended and held a side event at the sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City to again call for the release of the detained Saudi women human rights activists.
On March 28, it was revealed that three of the detained women’s rights activists were “temporarily released.” They are still subject to the charges made against them, and a “trial is pending until final judgments are obtained.” Following the release of the first group of women’s rights activists, Saudi rights group ALQST identified that four more activists were released on May 2.
Given this timeline, it may be hard to see progress in the fight for Saudi women’s rights. But we see the cracks in this systemic oppression more than ever before. This year alone, we have seen more high-profile escape attempts of Saudi women fleeing from male guardianship.
May 15, 2019 marked a full year since Saudi women’s rights activists were imprisoned. Our work is still not done, and we will not stop until all Saudi women’s rights activists are free.
Our oppression is connected—and so is our liberation.
Take Action!
If you have 30 seconds to spare, you can sign the Free Saudi Women Coalition’s petition demanding the UN to use their power to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all activists being detained solely for their human rights work. Follow the trail of money and find out if your government is supporting the Saudi-led war in Yemen—use our toolkit to ask them to stop funding war. Finally, know that if you live in a stable democracy, and if you can use your voice without fear of repercussion, you must do so.
