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Saudi court rejects Loujain Al-Hathloul’s torture case

December 24, 2020 at 11:52 am

Saudi activist Loujain Al-Hathloul was arrested by Saudi forces in 2018 [Emna Mizouni / Wikipedia]

A Saudi Criminal Court on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by female activist Loujain Al-Hathloul against the torture she has suffered during detention, local media reported.

Saudi Sabq newspaper said the Riyadh court dismissed Al-Hathloul’s case claiming there was a lack of evidence.

According to the paper, the Saudi Public Prosecution Office had been assigned to investigate Al-Hathloul’s allegations. However, a review of medical reports, surveillance cameras, testimonies as well as reports of the Saudi Human Rights Commission which visited the prison where she had been detained, all confirmed that her claims are “invalid”.

Last Thursday, Lina Al-Hathloul, Loujain’s sister, said her family has been informed that a secret report is being prepared on the torture claims submitted by Loujain, adding that the Public Prosecutor’s report denies the torture charges brought by Loujain.

Al-Hathloul was arrested along with about a dozen other female activists in May 2018, just weeks before Saudi Arabia lifted a decades-old ban on female drivers. She went on a hunger strike in October for several weeks to protest against her prison conditions. A report released earlier this month alleged that she was amongst a number of female activists that were being tortured and forced to carry out “sex acts” while in detention.

READ: Public Prosecutor requests maximum sentence for Loujain Al-Hathloul