Saudi: Family says Loujain Al-Hathloul has been silent for 3 weeks
Saudi Arabia must immediately disclose the status of
detained activist Loujain Al-Hathloul who has been unable to contact her family
for three weeks and banned from visits for more than two months, the Prisoners
of Conscience rights group said yesterday.
The calls came after Al-Hathloul’s family said they remain
unable to contact her.
“@LinaAlhathloul confirms that her sister @LoujainHathloul
did not call the family for the third week in a row, and that visits are denied
since March. She adds: “the first period she was held incommunicado was when
she was being tortured,” the group wrote on Twitter.
“We demand the Saudi authorities immediately disclose
Loujain Al-Hathloul’s situation and health condition by allowing her to
communicate with her family, and to release her immediately without delay or
preconditions,” the activists added.
“The continued denial of the activist’s right to communicate
is legally unacceptable, and we should not forget that her arrest is also
invalid, and the crime of torturing her brutally will not be overlooked,” the
tweet continued.
On Sunday, Loujain’s sister Lina wrote on Twitter: “Loujain
did not call this week. This is the 3rd week in a row. Visits are forbidden
since mid March. I’m worried. First period she was held incommunicado was when
she was being tortured.”
It was not possible to obtain an immediate comment from the
Saudi authorities on this complaint, but the Kingdom usually denies any failure
to care for detainees in its prisons.
On 15 May 2018, Saudi authorities arrested a number of
prominent human rights activists, most notably Loujain Al-Hathloul, Samar
Badawi, Nassima Al-Sadah, Nouf Abdulaziz and Mayya Al-Zahrani.
Reports at the time attributed the reasons for the arrest to
their defence of women’s rights in the Kingdom.
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