Dr. Hatoon Al-Fassi an Associate Professor of Women’s History at King Saud University and a renowned women’s rights activist has been detained. The reasons for her arrest have not been determined. She is also on a travel ban for unknown reasons. She has not been notified of any charges, a court date and no one has been informed of her whereabouts nor whether she has access to counsel. CCS has written the King of Saudi Arabia requesting he look into this situation and to release her if there are no charges. If she has been charged with a crime CCS requested that she be assured of a fair trial with due process.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud
King of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court
Riyadh
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Your Majesty:
The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.
We are writing to express our concern for Dr. Hatoon Al-Fassi, an Associate Professor of Women’s History at King Saud University, a contributor to Saudi Arabia’s al-Riyadh newspaper, and a renowned women’s rights activist, who is currently being detained.
We understand that authorities detained Dr. Al-Fassi between June 21 and 24, 2018 in apparent relation to her women’s rights activism, including her leadership in the movement to lift the ban on women’s right to drive. At the time she was taken into custody it was reported that she was under a travel ban. We understand that the circumstances surrounding her arrest are unclear, as is the reason for the travel ban. Public information regarding Dr. Al-Fassi’s current status, including location, a court date, whether she has counsel or any specific charges against her, are unavailable.
It is our understanding that Dr. Al-Fassi has not had access to family nor legal counsel. We welcome any additional information that may explain these events . Absent this, the facts as described suggest that Dr. Al-Fassi is being detained as a result of her non-violent exercise of her rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association – conduct that is expressly protected under international human rights agreements, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, to which Saudi Arabia was a signatory.
We respectfully urge you to direct the appropriate authorities to release Dr. Al-Fassi or ensure that any case against her proceeds in a manner consistent with Saudi Arabia’s obligations under international agreements, including those relating to due process and fair trials.
We thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to receiving your response.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
Cc:
Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense
Riyadh, 11165
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Price Abdulaziz Bin Saud Bin Naif Bin Abdulaziz
Minister of the Interior
Riyadh, 11431
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Dr. Waleed Bin Mohammad Al Samaani
Minister of Justice
Riyadh, 11472
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Prince Khalid Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America
The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037
USA