On his way to the appeals hearing on Wednesday, Hathloul told reporters that he expected the Riyadh Specialized Criminal Court to change his sentence – his first public comments since his arrest in 2018. The court, however, ruled that the sentence original should be maintained.
“The judge denied the appeal and confirmed the sentence of five years and eight months in prison, which includes 3 years of probation and 5 years of travel ban during which Loujain cannot leave Saudi Arabia at any time,” according to one your campaign statement.
Hathloul was arrested in May 2018 during a sweep that targeted other well-known opponents of the law since then rescinded by the kingdom that prohibits women from driving. She also challenged other legal restrictions on Saudi women imposed by the kingdom’s restrictive male guardianship system.
Hathloul’s sentence, according to her campaign, includes restrictions signed by her that state that she “cannot speak publicly about her case or reveal any details about the arrest, nor celebrate her release at the public level”.
In a statement in December, Hathloul’s family said she would remain on probation for three years, during which time she could be arrested for any illegal activity.
His release in February came less than a week after the White House asked the kingdom to release political prisoners, including women’s rights activists. U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged to pressure Saudi Arabia to improve its rights record, marking a departure from the Trump administration, which was reluctant to criticize the kingdom’s crackdown on dissent.
The terrorism court condemned Hathloul on charges of undermining national security, trying to change the Saudi political system and using his relations with foreign governments and human rights groups to “pressure the Kingdom to change its laws and systems”, according to with an accusation sheet from his family published in December.
During much of his imprisonment, Hathloul detailed his difficulties to his parents during visits to the prison. These allegations were later made public by three of his brothers who live outside the kingdom and were corroborated by the testimony of other activists in court.
Saudi officials have repeatedly denied accusations of torture and sexual abuse in their prisons.
According to his family, Hathloul went on a hunger strike twice – in protest against the conditions of the prison and because communication with his relatives was denied.
Hathloul’s sister, Lina al-Hathloul, who has been a driving force behind an international campaign for her release, shared a photo of her sister going to court on Wednesday and reacted to the decision.
“The international community should be outraged by this trial and really have time to study its conscience while continuing to do business with Saudi Arabia,” said Lina Al-Hathloul on Wednesday, according to the campaign.
CNN’s Mostafa Salem reported from Abu Dhabi, Hamdi Alkhshali from Atlanta and Eliza Mackintosh from London. Tamara Qiblawi and Kara Fox contributed to this report.