Manahel al-Otaibi
{{Short description|Saudi fitness instructor and activist}}
{{Infobox person
| native_name = مناهل العتيبي
| birth_date = 1994
| occupation = Fitness influencer, prisoner of conscience
| known_for = Sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Specialized Criminal Court for her tweets advocating for women's rights and for being pictured in fitness wear
| movement = Saudi anti male-guardianship campaign
| criminal_charges = Terrorism
| criminal_penalty = 11 years in prison
| criminal_status = Detained since September 2022
| relatives = Maryam and Fawzia al-Otaibi, sisters
}}
Manahel bint Nasser Khalaf al-Otaibi (Arabic: مناهل العتيبي; born 1994) is a fitness instructor and women's rights activist from Saudi Arabia. In 2024 she was convicted of terrorism offenses by a secret court after sharing posts on social media advocating for an end of the Saudi guardianship system and for showing images of herself shopping without wearing an abaya. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Human rights organizations ALQST and Amnesty International have called her imprisonment unjust. In February 2025, Amnesty reported that al-Otaibi had been "forcibly disappeared" by the Saudi government, as her whereabouts were unknown and as her lawyers and family could not speak to her.{{Cite web |last=Merlan |first=Anna |date=2025 |title=Who’s advertising on Twitter? One of its biggest investors: Saudi Arabia |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/04/twitter-x-saudi-arabia-advertisers-elon-musk-prince-alwaleed/ |website=Mother Jones |language=en-US}}
Biography
Manahel Nasser al-Otaibi was a Saudi Arabian influencer and fitness blogger. Living in Riyadh, the young influencer and certified fitness trainer used Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram to share fitness videos and posts advocating for women's rights in the country.{{Cite web |date=December 5, 2023 |title=Saudi women's rights defender sentenced to 11 years in prison for social media activism |url=https://menarights.org/en/case/manahel-al-otaibi |website=MENA Rights Group}}{{Cite web |last=Dussart |first=Jade |date=2024-02-14 |title=Saudi Arabia: criminalisation of sisters and WHRDs Manahel and Fouz al-Otaibi (joint communication) |url=https://srdefenders.org/saudi-arabia-criminalisation-of-sisters-and-whrds-manahel-and-fouz-al-otaibi-joint-communication/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=UN SR Human Rights Defenders |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2023-06-01 |title=Saudi fitness instructor Manahel al-Otaibi latest targeted in crackdown on dissent in kingdom |url=https://apnews.com/article/saudi-arabia-speech-crackdown-manahel-alotaibi-d95a2f17dbb4928228543f0f07b7bfec |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=AP News |language=en}}
= Activism =
{{See also|Saudi anti male-guardianship campaign|Women's rights in Saudi Arabia}}
In 2016, Manahel and her sisters Maryam and Fawzia became known for their social media advocacy around the #IAmMyOwnGuardian campaign, calling for an end to the male guardianship system.{{Cite news |last=Sidahmed |first=Mazin |date=2016-09-26 |title=Thousands of Saudis sign petition to end male guardianship of women |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/26/saudi-arabia-protest-petition-end-guardianship-law-women |access-date=2025-03-17 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |last=Levitt |first=Tom |last2=Parent |first2=Deepa |date=2024-10-02 |title=Saudi fitness instructor stabbed in face while jailed over women's rights posts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/oct/02/saudi-arabia-women-human-rights-influencer-manahel-al-otaibi-stabbed-face-abuse-prison |access-date=2025-03-17 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} In 2019, al-Otaibi shared with Deutsche Welle that she was optimistic of the appointment of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and her hopes that his rule would lead to greater liberalism in the country for women.{{Cite news |date=2024-05-01 |title=Manahel al-Otaibi: Saudi women's rights activist jailed for 11 years |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68934913 |access-date=2025-03-17 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} That year, Manahel's sister Maryam was placed under an illegal travel ban.{{Cite news |last=al-Hathloul |first=Lina |date=2024-04-16 |title=Saudi Arabia is rebranding itself as a moderate country, but what's the truth? Just ask our female activists |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/16/saudi-arabia-moderate-country-travel-ban-crime-womens-rights |access-date=2025-03-17 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |date=2024-01-10 |title=مريم العتيبي بين الاعتقال ومنع السفر وسوء المعاملة: الوجه الحقيقي لسياسة تمكين المرأة – المنظمة الأوروبية السعودية لحقوق الإنسان |url=https://www.esohr.org/en/%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%A1-%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%88%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B9-%D8%B3%D9%81%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9/#:~:text=Despite%20her%20release,%20Al-Otaibi,and%20a%20source%20of%20income. |access-date=2025-03-17 |language=en-GB}}
= Arrest =
Later, Saudi authorities accused Manahel of leading a propaganda campaign. In September 2022, al-Otaibi was detained by Saudi Arabian authorities.{{Cite web |last=Braimah |first=Tawa |date=2024-05-08 |title=Saudi Arabia: Women's rights activist sentenced to 11 years for tweets |url=https://amnesty.ca/urgent-actions/saudi-arabia-womens-rights-sentenced-to-11-years-for-tweets/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Amnesty International Canada |language=en-US}} Manahel's older sister Fawzia fled Saudi Arabia for Scotland where she was granted political asylum.{{Cite web |title='Crumbs of freedom': Saudi sisters prove limits of social change - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012 |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/03/crumbs-freedom-saudi-sisters-prove-limits-social-change |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.al-monitor.com |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Levitt |first=Tom |date=2024-05-07 |title='They've destroyed us because of some tweets': why has Saudi Arabia targeted these three sisters? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/may/07/family-three-sisters-saudi-arabia-fawzia-manahel-mariem-al-otaibi |access-date=2025-03-17 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} In November 2022, al-Otaibi was formally charged for violating Saudi Arabia's Anti-Cyber Crime Law, for allegedly "opposing the laws relating to women, such as the male guardianship system and the hijab law"; "participating in several hashtags opposing these laws"; "having several photos and video clips in indecent clothes on [social media] accounts", and "going to the shops without wearing an abaya, photographing this, and publishing it on Snapchat".
In January 2023, she appeared before judges who referred her case to the Specialized Criminal Court, and kept in confinement.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-17 |title=Manahel al-Otaibi {{!}} USCIRF |url=https://www.uscirf.gov/manahel-al-otaibi |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.uscirf.gov |language=en}}
According to Amnesty International, al-Otaibi was "forcibly disappeared" between November 5, 2023, and April 14, 2024 by Saudi authorities, and her family could not get in contact with her.{{Cite web |last=Braimah |first=Tawa |date=2024-09-10 |title=Saudi Arabia: Manahel Al-Otaibi subjected to torture in prison |url=https://amnesty.ca/urgent-actions/saudi-arabia-manahel-al-otaibi-subjected-to-torture-in-prison/#:~:text=Manahel%20al-Otaibi%20was%20arrested,Snapchat%20without%20wearing%20traditional%20clothing. |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Amnesty International Canada |language=en-US}} The organization disclosed that al-Otaibi was subject to torture while being held in solitary confinement in al-Malaz Prison.
= Conviction =
In January 2024, the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations confirmed al-Otaibi was convicted of terrorism charges and imprisoned for 11 years. At the time of her arrest, ALQST's Lina al-Hathloul said, "Saudi authorities have once again laid bare the arbitrary and contradictory nature of their so-called reforms, and their continuing determination to control Saudi Arabia's women". al-Otaibi's conviction and trial occurred behind closed doors and without informing her family or advocates.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-03 |title=Saudi court 'secretly' hands 11-year sentence to women's rights activist |url=https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240503-saudi-court-secretly-hands-11-year-sentence-to-women-s-rights-activist |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=France 24 |language=en}}
In April 2024, a consortium of international human rights organizations, including Freedom House, Amnesty International, ALQST for Human Rights and the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR) wrote an open letter calling for al-Otaibi's release. The letter outlined how al-Otaibi had been tortured in prison and was suffering from a broken leg without medical intervention.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-13 |title=NGOs call for access to Saudi detainees, as Manahel al-Otaibi faces further abuse |url=https://freedomhouse.org/article/ngos-call-access-saudi-detainees-manahel-al-otaibi-faces-further-abuse |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Freedom House |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Saudi activist sentenced to 11 years in prison 'over choice of clothing' |url=https://news.sky.com/story/saudi-activist-sentenced-to-11-years-in-prison-over-choice-of-clothing-13127445 |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Sky News |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-02-13 |title=مقررو الأمم المتحدة: فوز ومناهل العتيبي ضحايا حملة السعودية الواسعة ضد حرية التعبير – المنظمة الأوروبية السعودية لحقوق الإنسان |url=https://www.esohr.org/en/%D9%85%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%B1%D9%88-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B2-%D9%88%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%A8/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |language=en-GB}}
In October 2024, al-Otaibi shared that she had been stabbed in the face while imprisoned by unknown assailants. In November 2024, the Specialized Criminal Court of appeals upheld her 11-year criminal sentence.{{Cite web |title=Manahel al-Otaibi |url=https://alqst.org/en/politicalprisoners/manahel-al-otaibi |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=alqst.org |language=en}}
See also
- Salma al-Shehab, Saudi Arabian prisoner of conscience
- 2018–2019 Saudi crackdown on feminists
- Nourah al-Qahtani, arrested for tweets
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:al-Otaibi, Manahel}}
Category:21st-century Saudi Arabian women
Category:Saudi Arabian torture victims
Category:Saudi Arabian women's rights activists
Category:Saudi Arabian prisoners and detainees
Category:Violence against women in Saudi Arabia
Category:Saudi Arabian women human rights activists
Category:Saudi Arabian feminists
Category:Women's rights in Saudi Arabia
Category:Saudi Arabian women activists
Category:People imprisoned on terrorism charges
Category:Female prisoners and detainees
Category:Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Saudi Arabia