Human Rights Activist Who Enabled Saudi Women to Drive Sentenced to Prison

US Biden Shows Growing Concern for Saudi Human Rights...Focus on Impact on Bilateral Relations

Saudi Arabian women's rights activist Rawazin Alhatloul [Photo by Reuters]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Rohwazin Alhatloul (31), a prominent female activist who has raised her voice against the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia and demanded its allowance, was sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in prison on charges including undermining national security and violating anti-terrorism laws. The ruling, issued just three weeks before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who has focused on Saudi human rights issues, has drawn attention to the potential impact of the court's decision on the alliance between the two countries.

According to the Associated Press and others on the 28th (local time), the Saudi court sentenced Alhatloul to this term and banned her from leaving the country for the next five years. Additionally, if Alhatloul refrains from committing crimes for three years from the start of her sentence, half of the sentence?2 years and 10 months?will be suspended. She was arrested in March 2018 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and repatriated to Saudi Arabia, briefly released, but has been detained again since May of the same year. According to foreign media, if the sentence is carried out as ruled, she could be released in March next year.

Alhatloul is a female activist who has strongly criticized the government while advocating for women's freedom in conservative Saudi society. She argued that it was unfair that women could not drive in Saudi Arabia and was arrested in December 2014 while driving across the border from the UAE to Saudi Arabia. Based on her active activism, the Saudi government legally permitted women to drive in June 2018.

Alhatloul's family has announced through foreign media that they will appeal the ruling. The family claims that Alhatloul was subjected to sexual harassment and torture during her detention. Since her arrest, her family, UN human rights experts, and U.S. and European lawmakers have called for her release.

The reason this ruling is drawing attention is that it could become a test case in the relationship between President-elect Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a key figure in Saudi Arabia. While President Donald Trump maintained a friendly relationship with Crown Prince Mohammed, President-elect Biden has held a critical stance on Saudi human rights issues, leading foreign media to predict that this ruling could become a point of contention before Biden's inauguration in January next year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.