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Two human rights groups have strongly criticized the sentencing of Manahel al-Otaibi, a Saudi fitness instructor and advocate for women's rights, to 11 years in prison by a terrorism court.
Al-Otaibi, 29, was convicted on charges related to her attire choices and her online expression, which included advocating for the abolition of the guardianship system and posting videos of herself shopping without wearing an abaya, according to the groups.
Saudi diplomats informed the UN that she was found guilty of "terrorism-related offenses."
A letter from Saudi Arabia's mission in Geneva confirmed that Al-Otaibi's trial concluded with her conviction in January, but it did not provide further details about the case.
Numerous individuals, particularly women, have been detained in Saudi Arabia over the past two years for their social media posts. Amnesty International and ALQST, a Saudi rights organization based in London, said that Al-Otaibi was an early supporter of the social and economic reforms initiated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after he was named heir to the throne in 2017 by his father, King Salman.
In November 2022, she was arrested on terrorism charges amid an intensified crackdown on online dissent.
ALQST stated that she was initially accused of violating the Anti-Cyber Crime Law, including "opposing laws relating to women, such as the male guardianship system and the hijab law"; "participating in several hashtags opposing these laws"; "having several photos and video clips in indecent clothes on social media accounts," and "going to shops without wearing an abaya, photographing this, and publishing it on Snapchat." Her sister Fawzia faced similar charges but fled Saudi Arabia that year after being summoned for questioning, ALQST added.
Three months after her arrest, Al-Otaibi's case was referred to the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC). Rights groups say the terrorism tribunal has been used to prosecute peaceful dissidents and is notorious for violations of fair trial standards and harsh sentences.
On January 9, she was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison by the court, but the verdict was only publicly disclosed in the Saudi mission's letter to the UN Human Rights Office, which was dated January 25.
The letter said the court found her guilty of "terrorism offenses" under articles 43 and 44 of the Counter-Terrorism Law. These articles outline penalties for "any person who creates, launches, or uses a website or a program on a computer or an electronic device to commit [a terrorism offense]" and "any person who, by any means, broadcasts or publishes news, statements, false or malicious rumors, or the like for committing a terrorist crime."
The letter emphasized that the court "verified all the evidence against her while fully respecting the international obligations of Saudi Arabia."
"The government wishes to underscore that the exercise and defense of rights is not a crime under Saudi law; however, justifying the actions of terrorists by describing them as exercising or defending rights is unacceptable and constitutes an attempt to legitimize terrorist crimes," the letter added.
Lina al-Hathloul, head of advocacy at ALQST, said Al-Otaibi's belief that she could act freely could have been a positive endorsement for Mohammed bin Salman's widely promoted narrative of leading women's rights reforms in the country.
"Instead, by arresting her and now imposing this outrageous sentence on her, the Saudi authorities have once again laid bare the arbitrary and contradictory nature of their so-called reforms and their continuing determination to control Saudi Arabia's women," she said.