On April 14, 2024, five months after Saudi authorities forcibly disappeared 29-year-old, Manahel al-Otaibi, she contacted her family for the first time and told them she was being held in solitary confinement in al-Malaz Prison with a broken leg after being brutally beaten in detention, and without access to medical care. Manahel al-Otaibi was arrested on November 16, 2022, and charged with violating the Anti-Cyber Crime Law due to her tweets in support of women’s rights as well as posting photos of herself at the mall without an abaya (a traditional loose-fitting long-sleeved robe) on Snapchat. Her case has been referred to the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC), which is notorious for carrying out grossly unfair trials and handing out harsh sentences, including the death penalty, for individuals peacefully expressing themselves online.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: June 18, 2024
take action:
- Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
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contact information:
Waleed Mohammed Al Smani
Minister of Justice
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Postal Code 11472, P.O.Box 7775
Email: [email protected]
Embassy of Saudi Arabia in the United States
Her Royal Highness Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
601 New Hampshire Ave
NW, Washington, DC 20037
Email: [email protected]
sample letter:
Your Excellency,
I am concerned to learn of the enforced disappearance of Manahel al-Otaibi, who after 5 month was finally able to call her family to inform them to inform them that she is being held in solitary confinement in al-Malaz Prison with a broken leg after being brutally beaten, and without access to medical care.
Between November 5, 2023 and April 14, 2024, Saudi authorities forcibly disappeared the 29-year-old fitness instructor. Before her enforced disappearance, she had already been detained for a year since November 16, 2022, and charged with violating the Anti-Cyber Crime Law for tweeting hashtags in support of women’s rights and posting photos on Snapchat of herself at the mall wearing “immodest” clothing. She awaits trial before the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC), a court set up to try terrorism-related crimes.
On April 14 Manahel al-Otaibi told her family that she was subjected to further brutal beatings by someone who she was unable to identify as a prisoner or a guard. Manahel al-Otaibi spent “months” in solitary confinement, based on information by former detainees who were held in the same prison.
I urge you immediately and unconditionally release Manahel al-Otaibi, as she is being held solely for peacefully exercising her right to freedom of expression. Pending her release, she must be granted immediate access to medical care, and her allegations of torture and other ill-treatment must be impartially investigated.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
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