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Saudi activist Loujain alHathloul by Emna Mizouni –

Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Loujain Alhathloul

Loujain al-Hathloul is a Saudi women’s rights activist, social media figure, and political prisoner. Loujain was born on 31 July 1989 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After spending 5 years in Jeddah, Loujain鈥檚 family moved to France for 5 years after which they returned to Saudi Arabia. 

In Saudi Arabia, Loujain studied at Dar Al-Ulum until her graduation and moved to Canada to pursue her Bachelors in French Literature. Loujain graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2013. 

After her Bachelors, Loujain worked and started her MA in social research at Sorbonne University in Abu-Dhabi. She was due to graduate from Sorbonne University the year she got arrested. In 2019, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. 

Here are the top 10 remarquable facts about Loujain Alhathloul.

1. Loujain鈥檚 activism began during her studies in Canada, through her social media

Loujain became one of the leaders in the Saudi Women鈥檚 Rights movement, reshaping the process of mass collective consciousness-raising and developing a fully articulated understanding of women鈥檚 varying social positions. 

She was a main voice in the movements 鈥淭ogether We Stand to End Male Guardianship of Women鈥� and 鈥淲omen Demand the Overthrow of Guardianship鈥� raising awareness online and sharing information.

2. Al-Hathloul has been arrested on several occasions for defying the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia

Activists support campaing to Loujain AlHathloul by Samzek –

Until June 2018, Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world in which women were forbidden from driving motor vehicles.

Loujain was arrested in May 2018, with several other prominent women’s rights activists, on the charge of attempting to destabilize the kingdom after being effectively kidnapped in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

3. Al-Hathloul is known for being vocal in opposing the Saudi male guardianship system

Women’s societal roles in Saudi Arabia are heavily impacted by the Islamic and local traditions of the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi women have experienced major rights reforms since 2017. However, women’s rights in Saudi Arabia remains a topic of concern and controversy internationally. 

Al-Hathloul is known both for her role in the women-to-drive movement and in opposing the Saudi male guardianship system. On 1 December 2014, she was arrested and detained for 73 days after an attempt to cross the border in her car from the UAE to Saudi Arabia, on charges related to defying the female driving ban in the kingdom.

4. Al-Hathloul attempted to vie in Saudi local elections but was disqualified

Saudi activist Loujain alHathloul by Emna Mizouni –

Elections were held in Saudi Arabia on 12 December 2015 for municipal councils. This was the first election in Saudi Arabia in which women were allowed to vote, the first in which they were allowed to run for office, and the first in which women were elected as politicians.

Al-Hathloul attempted to stand in Saudi local elections in December 2015, the first vote in Saudi Arabia to include women but was barred.

5. Al-Hathloul petitioned King Salman asking for the male guardianship system to be abolished

In September 2016, along with 14,000 others, Al-Hathloul signed a petition to King Salman asking for the male guardianship system to be abolished.

King Salman is the King of Saudi Arabia. The 25th son of King Abdulaziz, he assumed the throne on 23 January 2015. Prior to his accession, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 16 June 2012 to 23 January 2015. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Salman is the 4th oldest living head of state.

6. In March 2018, Loujain was kidnapped from UAE and deported to Saudi Arabia 

Loujain Alhathloul –

Loujain was arrested for a few days and then put under a travel ban.  Al-Hathloul was detained again on the eve of 15 May 2018, along with Eman al-Nafjan, Aisha al-Mana, Aziza al-Yousef, Madeha al-Ajroush, and some men involved in campaigning for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.

Human Rights Watch interpreted the purpose of the arrests as frightening “anyone expressing skepticism about the crown prince’s rights agenda.

7. According to ALQST and Amnesty International, Loujain was tortured during her detainment

According to ALQST and Amnesty International, al-Hathloul and several of the other women detained for their women’s rights activities were tortured. Torture techniques, which included being beaten on their feet, given electric shocks, and being whipped, were used in a torture location called the hotel or the officer’s guesthouse.

According to Loujain al-Hathloul’s sister Alia, torture techniques used specifically against Loujain also included beating, electric shocks, and waterboarding, and the torture occurred between May and August 2018.

Loujain al-Hathloul’s parents stated that Loujain’s thighs were blackened by bruises when they visited and that Loujain was shaking uncontrollably, unable to hold her grip, to walk or sit normally during their visit.

8. In 2020 around 30 countries asked Saudi Arabia to release jailed women’s rights activists, including Loujain 

WikiWomen support photo for LoujainAlHathloul #FreeLoujain –

On 29 November 2020, seven European envoys released a joint statement condemning the continued detention of five women’s rights activists, including Loujain al-Hathloul, whose case was referred to a special court for terrorism-related offenses. 

The envoys demanded the release of Hathloul, who had been in jail since May 2018 after a sweep targeted prominent critics of the kingdom’s former law barring women from driving. On 28 December 2020, al-Hathloul was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison. On 10 February 2021, al-Hathloul’s sister announced on Twitter that she had been released from prison.

9. Loujain lives under a five-year travel ban

Loujain al-Hathloul was released from prison on 10 February 2021. Al-Hathloul’s sister said that a Riyadh court upheld the sentencing of Loujain. 

She is subject to many restrictions including a five-year travel ban.

10. Loujain al-Hathloul has received many accolades including, a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize 

Al-Hathloul was ranked third in the list of Top 100 Most Powerful Arab Women in 2015.  In March 2019, PEN America announced that Nouf Abdulaziz, al-Hathloul, and Eman al-Nafjan would receive the 2019 PEN America/Barbey Freedom to Write Award. Al-Hathloul was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2019.

Al-Hathloul was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 and 2020. In April 2021, she was announced as the winner of the 2020 V谩clav Havel Human Rights Prize.