Biden official slams Saudi jail sentence against rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul

December 30, 2020 at 10:39 am | Published in: , Middle East Monitor

December 30, 2020 at 10:39 am

Jake Sullivan, the incoming national security adviser of US President-elect Joe Biden, yesterday criticised Saudi Arabia for sentencing prominent women's rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul to nearly six years in prison, describing the sentence as "unfair and disturbing".

"Saudi Arabia's sentencing of Loujain Al-Hathloul for simply exercising her universal rights is unjust and troubling. As we have said, the Biden-Harris administration will stand up against human rights violations wherever they occur," Sullivan posted on Twitter.

On Monday, a Saudi anti-terrorism court sentenced Al-Hathloul and Maya Al-Zahrani – who was arrested hours after posting comments on the arrest of a fellow female activist – to five years and eight months in prison. The court suspended two years and ten months of Al-Hathloul's sentence; with a conditional release to follow, her sister, Lina said.