SAUDI ARABIA: DEFEND WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Manahel al-Otaibi is a fitness instructor and a brave outspoken advocate for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. In November 2022, she was arrested after posting to Snapchat photos of herself at a shopping mall not wearing the traditional long-sleeved loose robe known as an abaya. In January Manahel was sentenced to 11 years in prison. In a rare call with her family, Manahel reported having been kept in solitary confinement and suffering a brutal beating leaving her with a broken leg and no medical treatment.
Manahel still yearns for the day when women and girls in Saudi Arabia have freedom of expression, and free from discrimination. You can defend Manahel’s hope for the future.
Join Amnesty's global call for Saudi Arabia to free Manahel. Give today.
UPDATE: On 3 November, Manahel told her family that she had appealed the case, and the Court of Appeal upheld her 11-year sentence, and that she has now raised it to the Supreme Court. Manahel attended the trial at the Court of Appeal, but it was a secret trial, the family was not aware of it. We do not have court documents and don't have clarity on when the trial was, whether the same charges were upheld, or if she had a lawyer present. Manahel has been treated for the gash on her face.