“see what happens”, says Loujain al-Hathloul, smiling, and continues in the direction of the Saudi border. The then-28-Year-old knows not yet that she will be arrested. This short Video you made in 2014 international. This young woman with the big sunglasses, the ban on driving the strange Car in your home. After that, she sat for two months in a Saudi Arabian prison. This Time, it’s been ten months.

Loujain al-Hathloul was taken in mid-may of 2018, in their place of residence in Dubai and in the home flew. That was a few weeks before the end of the driving ban for women. Her sister, Alia al-Hathloul, who lives in Brussels and works, can well remember this time. “We all thought, that you come no later than the end of June out of it. After all, she has fought for this historic day,” she says on the phone.

Since last Wednesday Loujain al-Hathloul and nine other Activists will stand before court. “The charges were neither my family nor Loujain previously known,” says Alia al-Hathloul. Their parents took part in the trial, a lawyer could not see before. Most of them had fear, like daughter.

the murder of Khashoggi changed the location

to endanger, The public Prosecutor’s office accuses Loujain al-Hathloul now, the social peace in the Kingdom. It was called the collaboration with “hostile to human rights organisations”. Also, the Engagement in social media, especially for an end to the male guardianship was held. Local media showed pictures of Activists, stamped with “traitor”.

In the first months after the arrest of wanted to Alia al-Hathloul not to go Public. At a time when the world thought the Saudi crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, as a Reformer, perhaps even as a fighter for women’s rights . After the murder of the dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to CIA, the Saudi crown Prince is involved, the picture changed abruptly.

No help from human rights organization

As a U.S. foreign Minister Mike Pompeo in January the Riad, visited, broke Alia al-Hathloul your Silence in a guest post in the “New York Times”. In it, she reported how her sister with electricity, tortured beats, beaten, and sexually abused. Ironically, Saud al-Qahtani, the media adviser to the crown Prince and the alleged puppet masters in the Khashoggi affair, is said to have been the sexual abuse present in person, reported Loujain al-Hathloul their parents. The Saudi organization for human rights, wanted to investigate the abuse has stopped working now. You have can find no evidence.

a month Ago, Loujain al-Hathloul is to have a mercy petition to the Saudi king Salman signed. The family now hopes that the leadership wants to put in the Riad so that a line under the PR Disaster. At the hearing on Wednesday, Loujain al-Hathloul said not a word, tells the sister. Your brave Smile with which she was then the border is happening, is not much left.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 17.03.2019, 18:52 PM