Documents: Saudi activist Loujain Al-Hathloul files a complaint against the UAE for espionage and kidnapping
Prominent Saudi activist Loujain Al-Hathloul announced that she had filed a complaint against the UAE for espionage, kidnapping and illegal seizure of her car.
Al-Hathloul’s complaint against the UAE relates to her arbitrary arrest in 2018 and extraditing to the Saudi authorities.
Al-Hathloul announced the continuation of her struggle after her release, including appealing the judgments against her, objecting to the Supreme Court against her travel ban, and submitting a complaint about UAE violations.
Al-Hathloul was imprisoned in Saudi prisons for 1001 days and released on February 10, 2021.
During Al-Hathloul’s illegal imprisonment, she was subjected to numerous violations of her fundamental rights.
After her release, Al-Hathloul campaigned for accountability and justice, including violations she was subjected to by Emirati authorities.
According to documents presented by Al-Hathloul, Abu Dhabi Police sold her car for not answering calls while she was in prison.
In June 2020, the Al-Hathloul family announced a petition to the United Nations against Saudi Arabia and the UAE regarding the human rights violations that Loujain was subjected to.
These violations include kidnapping from the UAE and torture in a secret Saudi prison.
Loujain Al-Hathloul is a journalist who studied in the United States and was known for her defence of Saudi women’s rights. She was arrested more than once because of her positions.
Loujain Al-Hathloul has campaigned for gender equality in Saudi Arabia since 2013. She advocated for removing the government’s ban on women drivers and has spoken out against the male guardianship system and domestic violence.
Al-Hathloul was arrested in December 2014 for attempting to drive across the border from the UAE into Saudi Arabia and again in June 2017 on unspecified charges.
In March 2018, she was forcibly deported from the UAE to Saudi Arabia and detained for several days.
A team of experts at the United Nations previously confirmed that the UAE violated Al-Hathloul’s rights by forcibly deporting her.
The UN team pointed out that “the UAE government cannot evade its responsibility in facilitating the persecution of Al-Hathloul for its legitimate exercise of rights and freedoms.”
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