The 15th of May 2020 marks two years since the beginning of a campaign of arrests of Saudi Women’s Human Rights Defenders. Since May 2018 the Free Saudi Activists Coalition has been advocating for the release of women human rights defenders (WHRDs) who were arrested in Saudi Arabia. To mark the anniversary the Free Saudi Activists Coalition (Equality Now, Women’s March Global, International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), Americans for Democracy & Human Rights Bahrain (ADHRB), Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and CIVICUS) have released the following report, and continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Saudi activists.
Over 240,00 people have signed our Change.org petition calling on the United Nations to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all activists being detained solely for their human rights work. The arrests involved approximately a dozen women human rights defenders (WHRDs), including Loujain Al-Hathloul, who remains in prison along with other activists. Reports suggest that these WHRDs have been subjected to multiple torture and human rights violations perpetrated by the Saudi authority, including electric shocks, flogging, and sexual assault, and have been deliberately denied due process.
Now more than ever, during the COVID-19 pandemic, those who are arbitrarily detained and at increased risk, must be released – including Saudi activists.
Download the advocacy report in: