Saudi Women's Rights Activists Stand Trial in Criminal Court
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Several Saudi Arabian women rights activists stood trial on Wednesday for the first time since a group of them were detained last year in a case that has intensified scrutiny of Riyadh's human rights record after the murder of a prominent journalist.
Loujain al-Hathloul, Aziza al-Yousef, Eman al-Nafjan and Hatoon Al-Fassi are among around 10 women appearing before the Criminal Court in the capital, Riyadh, where charges will be presented against them, court president Ibrahim al Sayari said, Reuters reported.
He was speaking to reporters and diplomats, who were barred from attending the session.
The women are among about a dozen prominent activists who were arrested last May.
At the time of the arrests, the public prosecutor said five men and four women were being held on suspicion of harming the country's interests and offering support to hostile elements abroad. State-backed media labeled them as traitors and "agents of embassies".
Hathloul's brother tweeted late on Tuesday that the family had been informed that the trial had been moved to the criminal court from the Specialized Criminal Court, which was set up to try terrorism cases but is often used for political offenses. It was not clear what was behind the decision.
Three dozen countries, including all 28 EU members, called on Riyadh last week to release the activists.
Activists say some of them, including Hathloul, were held in solitary confinement and subjected to mistreatment and torture, including electric shocks, flogging and sexual assault. Saudi officials have denied those allegations.
Other detainees include Nouf Abdelaziz, Mayaa al-Zahrani, Samar Badawi, Nassima al-Saada, Shadan al-Onezi, Amal al-Harbi and Mohammed al-Rabia, according to rights groups.
Dozens of other activists, intellectuals and clerics have been arrested separately in the past two years in an apparent bid to stamp out possible opposition.