We are outraged by Saudi Arabia’s decision to sentence Loujain AlHathloul to 5 years and 8 months for her peaceful women’s rights work. Despite the possibility of early release, the entire proceeding has been a farce that has deeply harmed her family since Loujain was arbitrarily detained 2 ½ years ago. Yet again, Saudi Arabia has proven to be an embarrassing, unreliable ally to the United States, and call on the US government to publicly condemn the trial and demand her release. The US should not consider Crown Prince MBS and the Saudi royal family allies as long as they continue to detain and prosecute peaceful activists in the Kingdom.
