Saudi Arabia confirms fitness influencer sentenced to 11 years in prison for ‘terrorist offences’

JERUSALEM (AP) — Saudi Arabia confirmed in a letter to the United Nations that a women’s fitness class that was popular online was sentenced to 11 years in prison, but did not specify any of its alleged “offenses.” terrorists”.

Although the kingdom has insisted the case had nothing to do with the instructor’s online presence, human rights activists say the sentence handed down to Manahel al-Otaibi shows the limits of the expression in Saudi Arabia.

It also highlights another side of the kingdom, now led on a daily basis by the Saudi crown prince. Mohammed bin Salmanwho, under the leadership of her 88-year-old father King Salman, radically liberalized some aspects of women’s lives in the country.

“Her accusations related solely to her choice of clothing and expression of her opinions online, including a call on social media to end the male guardianship system in Saudi Arabia, posting videos of her wearing “indecent clothing” and “going to stores without wearing a suit.” abaya’,” said Amnesty International and ALQST, a London-based group that advocates for human rights in Saudi Arabia and is tracking al-Otaibi’s case.

The human rights organization issued joint statements Tuesday regarding al-Otaibi’s prison sentence, first revealed in a January 25 Saudi letter sent to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. the man.

In its letter, Saudi Arabia’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva did not present any of the evidence to convict al-Otaibi, while asserting that there had been “unfounded allegations and assertions and uncorroborated” regarding his case.

Al-Otaibi, who posted fitness videos on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, was accused of “defaming the kingdom at home and abroad, calling for rebellion against public order and traditions and customs of society, and contestation of the legal system and its justice,” according to court documents seen earlier by The Associated Press.

Her publications included advocating for liberal dress codes for women, LGBTQ+ rights, and the abolition of Saudi male guardianship laws. She was also accused of appearing in indecent clothing and posting hashtags in Arabic that included the phrase “overthrow the government.”

Al-Otaibi has been detained since November 2022. Her sister Fouz faced similar charges but fled Saudi Arabia, according to ALQST.

The kingdom’s letter said the Saudi government “wishes to emphasize that the exercise and defense of rights does not constitute a crime under Saudi law; However, justifying the actions of terrorists by portraying them as exercising or defending rights is unacceptable and constitutes an attempt to legitimize terrorist crimes.

Since 2018, women have been allowed to drive and other restrictions have been lifted in the once ultraconservative kingdom as it attempts to rapidly diversify its oil economy. This has come as Prince Mohammed has consolidated his power, in part by imprisoning members of the Saudi elite while his father retains formal control of the kingdom.

Several activists have been arrested for speaking out against Saudi rules or following dissidents who did so on social media. This includes Salma al-Shehab, a former PhD student at the University of Leeds who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence.