ALQST for 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

December 2024 - April 2025 - She was forcibly disappeared.
3 November 2024 - The family of al-Otaibi learned that the SCC Appeal Court has upheld the 11-year sentence against her. The prison administration has also callously filed a report against al-Otaibi and a fellow prisoner who acted kindly towards her.
Mid-September 2024 - She was exposed to further vicious abuse, this time being stabbed in the face with a sharp pen by an unknown woman. She required stitches, and was held in solitary confinement for two weeks, preventing her from sharing the news.
Early September 2024 - After a month held incommunicado, she has been able to contact her family again, and revealed she is being subjected to further abuse.
Early August 2024 - She is denied family contact, raising further concerns about her wellbeing.
9 January 2024 - She was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a secret hearing before the Specialised Criminal Court.
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.