Political Quotes

“I have spoken repeatedly about the unlawful imprisonment and abuse of human rights activists by the Saudi Government, which continue despite promises of reform by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In fact, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the botched coverup and sham investigation, and the ongoing, systematic repression of Saudi activists have only served to confirm what we already knew, which is that the Crown Prince is no reformer but, instead, a ruthless autocrat intimidated by non-violent dissent from his own people. One such activist being unlawfully detained by the Saudi royal family--which for all intents and purposes is the government--is Loujain al-Hathloul, a prominent and outspoken women's rights defender known for her activism against the women's driving ban and the male guardianship system. In 2014, Ms. al-Hathloul, who had a driver's license from the United Arab Emirates, UAE, was detained for 73 days after attempting to drive into Saudi Arabia from the UAE. She was arrested again in May 2018 along with several other women's rights activists, weeks before the Saudi Government lifted the ban on female drivers. She was detained and forcibly deported via private Saudi jet from the UAE and remains in a Saudi prison today. According to Ms. al-Hathloul's family and several human rights organizations, she has been tortured, sexually harassed, and threatened with rape and murder by Saudi officials. For the first 10 months of her detention, Ms.…”