Leading social activist campaigning for women to drive in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Al-Hadloul has already been held in a high-security prison for two and a half years.
He and his accomplices were detained by Saudi authorities in 2018, along with other charges, alleging links to anti-Saudi organizations.
It should be noted that international human rights organizations have also repeatedly demanded the release of Al-Hazlul.
On Monday, however, a special court hearing the country’s criminal cases, set up to deal with terrorism cases, found Legion guilty of a number of crimes, including undermining national security and advancing the agenda of foreign powers. Such as crimes.
Legion was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison. There are also reports that his sentence has been suspended for two years and ten months.
Legion and his family deny all allegations.
He has also accused Saudi officials of torturing Legion in custody. However, the court has dismissed the allegations.
Legin was detained in Saudi Arabia in 2018, just weeks before women were given the right to drive. However, Saudi officials insist that Legion was not convicted of campaigning for the right to drive.
Legin’s family says Saudi authorities detained him for three months at an undisclosed location, where he had no contact with anyone. He alleges that during his detention, Legion was electrocuted and flogged in addition to sexual harassment.
According to family members, Saudi officials allegedly offered Legion his release if he denied the violence.
According to human rights experts, Legion’s trial does not meet international standards.
In November, Amnesty International condemned the transfer of Legion’s case to a special criminal court, saying the move highlighted “cruel tactics and duplicity” by Saudi officials.
It is thought the case could further damage the reputation of Saudi Arabia’s controversial ruler, Mohammed bin Salman.
Muhammad bin Salman has introduced reforms in Saudi Arabia, including lifting the ban on women driving, to increase foreign investment in a conservative state like Saudi Arabia.
Muhammad bin Salman is condemned for his actions against social workers and for his role in the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Due to her imprisonment, Legion’s reputation has grown even more since she campaigned for women’s driving through her heroic social work.
They have emerged as a symbol of human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, where long-held economic and social reforms have been a dream come true, and where state-level action is still taken to resolve political differences.
When Biden takes over the presidency of the United States, it is hoped that he will take a hard line on human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi officials believe they will pursue matters in their own way.
Saudi Arabia believes that as the world’s largest oil exporter, it has a place in the world and a dominance in the region. Some of Legion’s sentences have been suspended and some have already been served, which means he will be released in the new year, along with other social workers.
The move would ease the pressure on Saudi Arabia, which does not want to give the impression that it is doing something under pressure.