Concern for Saudi woman held in solitary confinement since February

Human rights groups have called on the Saudi authorities to immediately release a 51-year-old mother of five who has been held in solitary confinement since February.

Ten NGOs, including Alqst, Dawn and Human Rights Watch, issued a statement on Thursday raising the alarm about the detention of Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani, highlighting that her health has rapidly deteriorated in custody.

Qahtani, who's disabled daughter relies heavily on her care, was handed a 45-year prison sentence by the notorious Specialised Criminal Court (SCC) in August 2022 for her social media activity, which was deemed to be critical of the authorities.

The NGOs' statement described the punishment as a “travesty of justice", and said Qahtani's prolonged solitary confinement is "a violation of the absolute prohibition on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment".

"Noura al-Qahtani has now suffered this gross violation of her rights for more than two months," they said.

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According to Mena Rights Group, before her arrest in July 2021, Qahtani used two anonymous accounts to advocate for the release of political prisoners and criticise rights abuses by the Saudi authorities.

She was initially sentenced to 13 years in prison in February 2022, with half the sentence suspended. 

But later that year, the SCC upheld the initial ruling and piled on more charges including “preparing, sending and storing information, through the internet, seeking to harm public order” and “seeking to disturb the social fabric, national unity, the societal cohesion and basic laws”, extending her sentence to 45 years.

Following a retrial in September 2024, the sentence was reduced to 35 years in prison along with a 35-year travel ban.

In June 2023, a complaint submitted by NGOs prompted the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to adopt an opinion stating that Qahtani’s detention is arbitrary and constitutes a human rights violation.

"At a time when some Saudi prisoners of conscience are being belatedly released - albeit under heavy restrictions - Nourah’s plight is a stark reminder of the many who remain cruelly detained, and even face further repressive measures," Alqst's Nadyeen Abdulaziz told Middle East Eye.

"Her ongoing detention, which UN experts have deemed arbitrary, is a stain on the Saudi authorities’ dire human rights record. She must be released and reunited with her five children immediately."

The NGOs said that her case highlights the Saudi authorities’ commitment to a “relentless crackdown on peaceful dissent and harsh treatment of targeted prisoners”, subjecting them to solitary confinement, incommunicado detention and forcible disappearance.

It further noted that Qahtani is one of many women activists subjected to violations in Saudi prisons, contradicting the kingdom’s attempts to whitewash its record on women’s rights.

middleeasteye.net