A prominent 29-year-old Saudi Arabian fitness teacher on social media has been arrested and charged with crimes that could land her in prison. Even for individuals who, like Manahel al-Otaibi, voice support for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to liberalize some parts of life in the ultraconservative country, the case against al-Otaibi demonstrates the limits of freedom in Saudi Arabia. While his father, King Salman, 87, retains legal leadership, Prince Mohammed has strengthened his position in the country by imprisoning members of the country’s elite and other critics.
Lina Alhathloul, head of monitoring and advocacy at ALQST, a London-based NGO campaigning for human rights in Saudi Arabia that has followed al-Otaibi’s case, said, “They say they welcome women and that women can wear whatever — but in the end what is happening is that it’s only for Westerners.” Loujain, Alhathloul’s sister, is still based in the country after being banned from leaving after serving time in prison for her own activism. To this day, Saudi women are still subjugated to the male guardianship system and punished severely for speaking out. It’s terrible that people are so afraid and that so many of them are being jailed for nothing.
Officials in the Saudi government did not react to a request for comment on the detention of al-Otaibi. According to court documents seen by The Associated Press, Al-Otaibi, who posted fitness videos on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, is accused of “defaming the kingdom at home and abroad, calling for rebellion against public order and society’s traditions and customs, and challenging the judiciary and the justice.” Among the causes she posted about was the elimination of male guardianship restrictions in Saudi Arabia, LGBTQ+ rights, and more permissive clothing codes for women.
The arrest of Al-Otaibi dates back to November of 2022. Activists have now gone public, elevating her plight to widespread attention. The Specialized Criminal Court of Saudi Arabia, originally created to hear terrorism cases but now also considering charges against activists, will try her. According to ALQST, Al-Otaibi’s sister, Fouz, also faces allegations but has since fled Saudi Arabia. After being detained for 104 days in 2017 for living freely without her father’s consent and challenging male guardianship regulations, Maryam was released on a travel ban and allowed to return home. Under Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system, female citizens must obtain male consent before making major life decisions like moving, getting married, or filing for divorce.
Several activists have been detained for either publicly criticizing Saudi government policies or for publicly supporting dissidents who do so online. Salma al-Shehab, a former doctorate student at Leeds University, is one of those people; she was recently sentenced to 27 years in prison. Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a U.S. citizen who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for tweets he sent while travelling, is another example. Even though he was released in March, a travel ban prevented him from returning to his home in Florida.
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