A Saudi Arabian fitness instructor and influencer was stabbed in the face in prison after being jailed in January for promoting women’s rights on social media.
Manahel al-Otaibi, 30, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for “terrorist crimes” in a secret trial, which activists say shows the “emptiness” of Saudi Arabia’s human rights progress. , which caused widespread criticism.
Manahel told his family this week that an unknown assailant stabbed him in the face with a sharp pen, requiring stitches. Her family said they tried to report the attack to the Saudi government’s Human Rights Commission but were ignored.
Manahel, along with her sisters Mariam and Fauzia, had been the target of arrests, threats and intimidation after posting messages about women’s empowerment.
The sisters were among the first to post using the hashtag #IAmMyOwnGuardian, calling for an end to the male guardianship system, which requires women to have permission from their husbands, fathers or other male relatives to marry or travel.
Authorities accused Manahel of leading a propaganda campaign that incited girls to denounce religious principles and rebel against the customs and traditions of Saudi culture. In November 2022, she was arrested and charged for tweeting in support of women’s rights and posting photos without wearing traditional costumes.
Manaher was reportedly brutally assaulted by fellow prisoners and guards since being detained at Almaraz prison in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, and was “enforced to disappear” for five months starting in November without being allowed contact with his family. are. 2023 and April of this year.
“She was very scared (when we spoke on the phone) but was strong enough to tell us about the incident and what happened despite threats to keep her quiet. ” said Fauzia. border with Bahrain.
“I think they are punishing and torturing Manahel because they can’t punish me,” she said. “She said that if we lost contact again next week (when she was supposed to call her family again), they would have punished her for telling us everything that had happened. Ta.”
“This is the latest in a series of horrifying attacks Manahel has faced in prison, and the Saudi authorities are watching,” said Rina al-Hathloul, head of monitoring and advocacy at ALQST, which documents human rights in Saudi Arabia. We’re not just pretending,” he said. While turning a blind eye to the abuse, he actively facilitated it by preventing her from filing complaints, placing her in solitary confinement, and placing her in solitary confinement where she was vulnerable to further violence.
“This is part of a broader pattern in which authorities are ruthlessly toying with the lives of Saudi prisoners of conscience, with potentially deadly consequences.”
Commenting on the rise of “sportswash” by the Saudi regime, Amnesty International’s Bisan Fakih said: “When the reality of the human rights situation is obscured by sports and entertainment events, it becomes difficult to pressure the Saudi authorities to open up the human rights situation.” People like Manahel. ”
The Saudi embassy in London has been contacted for comment.
