TAKE ACTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

TRIAL HEARING FOR IMPRISONED WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVIST

Fifth UA 14.24

A hearing for fitness influencer and women’s rights activist, Manahel al-Otaibi, is scheduled to take place before Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) on May 26, 2025. Manahel al-Otaibi has been imprisoned since November 16, 2022. On January 9, 2024, the SCC sentenced Manahel al-Otaibi to 11 years in prison for “terrorist offenses” in a secret trial. She was initially charged with violating the Anti-Cyber Crime Law, then faced additional charges under the counter-terror law due to her tweets in support of women’s rights as well as posting photos of herself at the mall without an abaya (a traditional loose-fitting long-sleeved robe) on Snapchat. Saudi authorities have subjected her to torture and other ill-treatment, as well as enforced disappearance.

Call on the Saudi Minister of Justice, Waleed Mohammed Al Smani, to immediately release Manahel al-Otaibi - send your email using our email-writing tool.

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Minister of Justice

Walid bin Mohammed

Al-Samaani

Minister of Justice

Your Excellency,

I am deeply concerned about the continued arbitrary detention of fitness influencer and women’s rights activist, Manahel al-Otaibi. Manahel al-Otaibi informed her family that her next trial date is set for May 26, 2025 in front of the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC).

The specifics of the hearing on May 26, 2025, are unclear because the authorities restrict and monitor Manahel al-Otaibi’s communication with her family and therefore she has not been able to inform them of details of court proceedings.

Manahel al-Otaibi was arrested on November 16, 2022, and charged with violating the Anti-Cyber Crime Law for tweeting hashtags in support of women’s rights and posting photos on Snapchat of herself at the mall without wearing an Abaya (a traditional loose-fitting long-sleeved robe).

As well as being subjected to months-long periods of enforced disappearance, Manahel al-Otaibi has also been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment in al-Malaz Prison. Manahel al-Otaibi suffers from multiple sclerosis, a chronic neurological disorder. In her last phone call to her family on May 11, 2025, she reported severe pain in her leg. She has not received adequate medical care.

I urge you to order the immediate and unconditional release of Manahel al-Otaibi, as she has been convicted solely for exercising her right to freedom of expression. Pending her release, she must be granted immediate access to medical care, and her allegations of torture and other ill-treatment must be impartially investigated.

Yours sincerely,

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