Who is Manahel al-Otaibi, the Saudi fitness influencer jailed for her choice of clothing?

Al-Otaibi, who posted fitness videos on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, faced charges of “defaming the kingdom at home and abroad, calling for rebellion against public order and society’s traditions and customs, and challenging the judiciary and its justice.

The Saudi government in its response to the United Nations, seeking information about Al-Otaibi, revealed that she had been found guilty of “terrorist offences” on January 9. (Photo: Amnesty International)

Human rights groups have called on Saudi Arabia to release Manahel al-Otaibi, a 29-year-old fitness instructor and women’s rights activist, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison, allegedly for her “choice of clothing and support for women’s rights.”

Who is Manahel al-Otaibi?

Al-Otaibi, who posted fitness videos on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, faced charges of “defaming the kingdom at home and abroad, calling for rebellion against public order and society’s traditions and customs, and challenging the judiciary and its justice,” according to court documents seen by The Associated Press. Her posts included advocacy for liberal dress codes for women, LGBTQ+ rights and the abolition of Saudi Arabia male guardianship laws. She was also accused of appearing in indecent clothing and posting Arabic hashtags that included the phrase “overthrow the government.”

Manahel al-Otaibi had, ironically, been an early believer in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s promises of reform, Amnesty International said, adding that in a 2019 TV interview with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, she had described the “radical changes” taking place in the Saudi kingdom, including the dress code reforms, and said “she felt free to express her views and wear what she liked based on the Crown Prince’s declarations.”

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The Saudi government in its response to the United Nations, seeking information about Al-Otaibi, revealed that she had been found guilty of “terrorist offences” on January 9. The activist was arrested on November 16, 2022.

Manahel al-Otaibi’s posts included advocacy for liberal dress codes for women, LGBTQ+ rights and the abolition of Saudi Arabia male guardianship laws. (Photo: Amnesty International)

The 29-year-old women’s rights activist was found guilty under Articles 43 and 44 of the kingdom’s Counter-Terrorism Law, criminalising “any person who creates, launches, or uses a website or a program on a computer or an electronic device… or to publish information on the manufacture of incendiary devices, explosives, or any other devices used in terrorist crimes”, as well as “any person who, by any means, broadcasts or publishes news, statements, false or malicious rumours, or the like for committing a terrorist crime”.

What human rights organisations say?

According to the Saudi government’s response to the UN, as of January 25, 2024, al-Otaibi’s sentencing was subject to appeal and her case remained “under consideration before the courts”.

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In a statement, Amnesty International said, “Her charge relates solely to her choice of clothing and expression of her views online, including calling on social media for an end to Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system, publishing videos of herself ‘wearing indecent clothes’, and ‘going to the shops without wearing an abaya’ (a traditional dress). Her sister Fawzia al-Otaibi faces similar charges, but fled Saudi Arabia fearing arrest after being summoned for questioning in 2022.”

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It added that al-Otaibi’s family have not had access to her court documents, or the evidence presented against her.

Amnesty International’s Campaigner on Saudi Arabia, Bissan Fakih, said, “Manahel’s conviction and 11-year sentence is an appalling and cruel injustice. Since the moment she was arrested, Saudi Arabia’s authorities have subjected her to a relentless catalogue of abuses, from unlawful detention for supporting women’s rights to enforced disappearance for over five months while she was being secretly interrogated, tried and sentenced and subjected to repeated beatings by others in the prison.”

Although the authorities have removed some of the restrictions women face under the male guardianship system, many discriminatory features remain in place, the human rights group observed.

Several activists have been arrested for denouncing Saudi rules, or following dissidents who do so, on social media. This includes Salma al-Shehab, a former doctoral student at Leeds University who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence.