Anushka Mansharamani
A Saudi Court sentenced Loujain al-Hathloul, a women’s rights activist, to imprisonment for 5 years 8 months.
Loujain al-Hathloul was held in 2018 along with more than 12 other women’s rights activists.
The verdict, as said by Sabq and al-Shark al-Awsat newspapers, poses a challenge to the relationship between the U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who described Riyadh as a “pariah” for his human rights record and the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Loujain al-Hathloul was charged for her attempt to change the Saudi political system and national security.
The court slung 2 years 10 months of her sentence since she was arrested on 15th May 2018.
The United Nations Human Rights has termed the charges as spurious, and various other leading groups for rights and law-makers have called for her release.
The kingdom had recently lifted the ban on women driving after the women activists had fought for this right.
Loujain al-Hathloul was sentenced to imprisonment 3 weeks after Walid al-Fitaih, a U.S.-Saudi physician was sentenced to 6 years by the Riyadh Court. The U.S. had also called for his release.