ALQST Organization for Supporting Human Rights-Political Prisoners

Personal information

Sex: Female
Area of activity: Blogger , Women’s rights activist

Manahel al-Otaibi is a fitness trainer and social media influencer who used her online platform to call for women’s rights, by tweeting under feminist hashtags such as #EndMaleGuardianship and challenging the official Saudi dress code by posting photos of herself not wearing an abaya.

Arrest and jail information

Prison: Malaz Prison, Riyadh
Date of arrest: 16 November 2022

Trial information

Charges: Manahel and her sister Fouz both face charges under the kingdom’s draconian Anti-Cybercrime Law that include “opposing the laws relating to women, such as the male guardianship system and the hijab law”, “participating in several hashtags opposing these laws, notably ‘isqaat al-wilaaya’ (‘abolish male guardianship’)”, “having several photos and video clips in indecent clothes on [their] [social media] accounts”, and “going to the shops without wearing an abaya, photographing this, and publishing it on Snapchat”.

Violations

Arbitrary arrest/ detention

Timeline

14 April 2024 - After more than four months held incommunicado, al-Otaibi called her family and told them that she is being held in solitary confinement, with a broken leg, and in inhumane conditions. She also spoke of the retaliation against her as a result of her sister Fouz’s advocacy for her.
5 November 2023 - She is denied family contact, raising further concerns about her wellbeing.
Late August 2023 - She is placed in solitary confinement without air conditioning.
26 July 2023 - She was due to appear before the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC) for the first session of her trial, but it was postponed without a new date being set.
16 November 2022 - She was arrested.