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Saudi Arabia’s jailed trailblazers
DUBAI, June 23, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Saudi authorities have in the past two
months detained at least 16 people, including several identified as women’s
rights activists, on accusations of treason.
The crackdown comes even as the kingdom breaks with long-held restrictions
on women’s lives, preparing to lift the world’s only ban on female motorists
on Sunday.
That was a goal some of the detainees had championed for decades, but
credit for the policy change has gone to young Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, architect of an aggressively marketed reform package.
Some of those detained have since been released.
But for Saudi activists, their arrests confirmed that even if the monarchy
dictates the easing of some social restrictions, it will resist granting any
modicum of democracy.
Three of the most prominent figures who continue to languish in detention
are Loujain al-Hathloul, Aziza al-Yousef, and Ibrahim al-Modaimegh.
– Loujain al-Hathloul –
Loujain al-Hathloul was among a group of women’s rights activists arrested
in mid-May.
The 28-year-old has long campaigned for women to be able to drive and an
end to the kingdom’s notorious guardianship system, which requires women to
get permission from male relatives for many decisions.
This was not the first time Hathloul, from the conservative central region
of Al-Qassim, has been behind bars.
Saudi authorities put her in juvenile detention in late 2014 when she
tried to drive into the kingdom from the neighbouring United Arab Emirates.
Hathloul was freed 73 days later following an international campaign.
MORE/AU/09:55 hrs
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SAUDI-WOMEN-SOCIETY-2-LAST Her most recent arrest triggered a smear
campaign in the pro-government press, which printed her photo along with
those of fellow feminists, branding them “traitors”.
Another activist, who declined to be named over fears for her family’s
safety, told AFP that Hathloul represented Saudi Arabia’s modern feminists.
“Loujain is the young rebel woman from Al-Qassim who embodies global
values… and calls out the (lies) of the state,” she said.
On May 19, Hathloul’s face was printed on the cover of Saudi Arabia’s Al-
Jazirah newspaper, alongside fellow activist Aziza al-Yousef, with the
headline: “Your betrayal has failed”.
– Aziza al-Yousef –
If Loujain al-Hathloul represents Saudi Arabia’s young, outward-looking
feminists, fellow activists say Aziza al-Yousef embodies an older generation
of trailblazers.
Yousef, 61, was one of a small number of women who responded to calls to
defy the kingdom’s driving ban in 2013 and again in 2014.
The retired university professor in 2016 attempted to deliver a petition
to the Royal Court, signed by thousands of Saudis, demanding an end to the
guardianship system that gives men control over their female relatives’
rights to study, marriage and travel.
Yousef has also spoken out against domestic violence, condemning the
“lenient” eight-year sentence handed to a Saudi preacher convicted of raping
and killing his young daughter in 2011.
Unlike many of her younger counterparts, Yousef expresses her arguments
for women’s rights through the lens of Islam.
“Aziza is different. She’s wearing her (head) scarf. She’s speaking the
language of the traditional. She represents a unique model that is tolerant
to all,” a fellow activist said.
“That’s why the Saudi state is angry. She embodies both progressive and
traditional norms.”
While younger campaigners are dismissed by some as products of
Westernisation, out of touch with their religion, Yousef maintains her
religious credentials, the activist said.
“Aziza is very much committed to Islam,” she added. “She talked about how
Islam respected women.”
– Ibrahim al-Modaimegh –
Attorney Ibrahim al-Modaimegh has come out of retirement in recent years
to defend his fellow feminists.
As a senior legal figure, he was long protected by his stature, other
activists say.
He had served on the kingdom’s top legislative councils and helped draft
many of its laws.
“He retired about seven years ago, but he has taken on almost all of the
activists’ cases,” a Saudi activist told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The respected lawyer worked particularly hard to defend women who defied
the kingdom’s notorious driving ban.
“That was one thing the government seems really angry about,” the activist
said.
In mid-May, he was swept up in the crackdown on feminists he had spent
years defending, with the pro-government press branding him “the devil’s
advocate”.
BSS/AFP/AU/09:55 hrs