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Saudi Activist Who Fought for Women’s Right to Drive Is Sentenced to Prison Loujain al-Hathloul, who was arrested just before the driving ban was lifted, was charged with undermining the kingdom in a case that supporters decried as a political persecution. Dec. 28, 2020 CAIRO One of Saudi Arabia’s best-known prisoners, the women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul, was sentenced on Monday to five years and eight months in prison, capping a two-and-a-half-year legal ordeal that rights groups and her supporters called punishment for her political advocacy. Ms. al-Hathloul was first arrested in May 2018 along with others who had pushed to end a ban on women driving. She was later charged with undermining the kingdom and its political system by communicating with foreign diplomats, journalists and rights organizations and pushing for women’s rights. ....
Al-Hathloul’s case, and her imprisonment for the past two and a half years, have drawn criticism from rights groups, members of the US Congress and European Union lawmakers. Cale Brown, the deputy spokesman of the State Department said the United States was “concerned by reports” of her sentence. “We’ve emphasized the importance of free expression and peaceful activism in Saudi Arabia as it advances women’s rights,” Brown wrote on Twitter. “We look forward to her anticipated early release in 2021.” Jake Sullivan, who will take over as national security adviser when Joe Biden is sworn in as president on January 20, called the sentence “unjust and troubling” adding that the new administration would “stand up against human rights violations wherever they occur.” ....