ALQST Organization for Supporting Human Rights-Political Prisoners

Personal information

Sex: Female
Marital status: Married
Area of activity: Academic , Human rights activist
Place of residence: Riyadh
Group:

She was one of the first to call for women to be allowed to drive, and has been notably active in defending women’s rights, workers’ rights and civil and political rights. She tried to set up a refuge for battered women and girls who are not accepted back from government social care institutions by their families, but the authorities turned down her application

Arrest and jail information

Prison: Al-Ha’ir Prison, Riyadh
Date of arrest: 15 May 2018
Manner of arrest: In a raid on her home by heavily armed security officers

Trial information

Charges: Recruiting government employees to gather confidential information; providing financial support to foreign entities; communicating with foreign states hostile to Saudi Arabia
Court: Criminal Court

Violations

Arbitrary arrest/ detention ,
Denied contact with family ,
Torture and ill-treatment

Violation details

Subjected to brutal torture and placed in solitary confinement; denied visits and phone calls for months

Timeline

18 July 2019 - Aziza al-Yousef was summoned to attend a hearing in the Riyadh Criminal Court.
27 June 2019 - The fourth court hearing was held.
3 April 2019 - The third court hearing was held.
28 March 2019 - She was temporarily released and has been under close surveillance. Her son Salah Al-Haidar was arrested few days later.
27 March 2019 - The second court hearing was held.
13 March 2019 - She was brought to trial before the Criminal Court in Riyadh.
15 May 2018 - She was arrested in a raid on her home by heavily armed security officers