Loujain al-Hathloul, a women’s rights activist who championed women’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia, was sentenced to five years and eight months by a local court despite mounting international pressure for her release.

However, the court granted her a suspension of two years and ten months from her sentence along with time already served, leading to her possible release in a little over two months.

Her sister Lina took to Twitter to share details of her sentence.

Under Crown Prince Mohammed-bin-Salman Saudi Arabia has taken tentative steps towards modernization. On June 24, 2018, Prince Salman had lifted the driving ban on women in the deeply conservative Kingdom, amidst stiff opposition from hardline clerics.

But Loujain al-Hathloul who had been arrested on May 15, 2018 got no reprieve despite huge international outcry. Instead, she was charged in 2019 for her advocacy work and her case was transferred in late November last year to the notorious Specialized Criminal Court that deals with terrorism cases!

* Feature image by Emna Mizouni via Wikimedia Commons.