Loujain Al-Hathloul and her family are still banned from traveling despite the end of the court-imposed term.

The Saudi activist Lina Al-Hathloul announced that the Saudi authorities are still not allowing her sister, Loujain Al-Hathloul, and the rest of their family to travel, despite the expiration of the legal travel ban period as per the court’s ruling.

Al-Hathloul tweeted on her official account on platform ‘x’: “My sister Loujain should now be able to travel given that the period of her travel ban has ended.
However, she is still not allowed to leave the country.
I hope this is only an administrative mistake and not further escalation”.

Loujain Al-Hathloul was arrested in May 2018 and was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison on charges of “attempting to harm national security”. She was released from prison in February 2021, but she remained banned from traveling.

Al-Hathloul is considered one of the most prominent activists in the field of women’s rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She played a key role in the campaign to lift the driving ban on women in Saudi Arabia, which achieved its goal in June 2018.

Al-Hathloul was subjected to physical and psychological torture during her detention period and underwent psychological treatment after her release.

Travel bans are among the repressive penalties imposed by the Saudi authorities on human rights activists. This measure aims to restrict their movement and prevent communication with the outside world.

In the case of Loujain Al-Hathloul, the continued travel ban on her is a violation of her basic rights. On its part, SANAD Organisation for Human Rights calls on the Saudi authorities to allow Loujain and her family to travel and not to restrict their freedom.