Arrested in Front of Her Infant Child… Fifth Anniversary of Maha Al-Howaiti’s Arrest

These days mark the fifth anniversary of the arrest of Maha Suleiman Al-Qar’ani Al-Howaiti, who was detained in February 2021 over tweets in which she criticized the rising cost of living and expressed condolences for Abdulrahim Al-Howaiti, who was killed by Saudi security forces in April 2020 during the forced displacement of the Howaitat community.

Maha Al-Howaiti was arrested in a brutal manner in February 2021, when State Security and Emergency Forces raided her home and detained her in front of her five children—the youngest of whom was only four months old at the time. She was initially sentenced to one year in prison, a term that was later increased to three years. In August 2022, she was retried, and the Specialized Criminal Court issued a new ruling sentencing her to 23 years in prison.

For its part, SANAD Human Rights Organization calls on the Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Maha Al-Howaiti, provide fair compensation to her and her family, and end all violations against members of the Howaitat tribe—foremost among them the release of all those detained from the community.