Al-Hathloul is a Saudi women’s rights activist who has recently been released from prison but is under strict conditions of no travelling or political engagement. She was a fierce critic of the law forbidding women to drive in Saudi Arabia and she used social media to challenge this and the male guardianship system. In 2014, she was detained for 73 days after she attempted to drive into Saudi Arabia from the United Arab Emirates. A year later, Al-Hathloul attempted to stand in the local elections, which marked the first time Saudi women were allowed to vote, but was ultimately barred. She was detained again in 2018, but this time she was tortured and held in prison without charges or trial for 10 months, but then charged the following year with attempting to destabilise the kingdom. She was sentenced to 5 years in December 2020. Her husband, a Saudi stand-up comedian had also been forcefully returned from Jordan to Saudi Arabia and is currently under arrest.
Source of Influence: Social Issues
Status: Featured in current year