SHAFAQNA- Prisoners of Conscience’s Twitter account calls on the Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Samar Badawi, and Nassima Al-Sadah detained in Saudi Arabia, and to put an end to the judicial harassment against them.
2018 saw an unprecedented crackdown against women rights defenders. Dozens were detained on vague security charges for defending women’s rights. Several were reportedly tortured while in detention. The acts of torture included electric shocks, whipping the women on their thighs, rape threats and sexual harassment.
Badawi and Sada are known for their persistent work defending human rights. In 2011 they were among the first to bring a lawsuit demanding that women be allowed to vote and stand as candidates in municipal elections taking place later that year. They were both involved in campaigns to end the ban on women driving, and Badawi also worked to repudiate the male guardianship laws. Sada has trained many young people in various aspects of human rights, Alqst.org told
Badawi received the International Women of Courage Award in 2012 and an International Hrant Dink Award in 2015 for being “a leading voice for advocating women’s rights and for raising international awareness about the oppression of human rights defenders in her country”.