Amnesty International’s worldwide Write for Rights campaign launches once again this year on 1 November. The most intensive of Amnesty’s letter writing activities for human rights, Write for Rights targets nominated individuals and groups who have been the subject of unjust or inhumane treatment and invites members of the public to write cards and letters to support them and lobby the relevant authorities on their behalf. Amnesty carefully selects cases where they feel there are good prospects of success, conducts relevant risk assessments and seeks ethical consent from those involved and others such as family members.
As a result, many of those receiving cards subsequently report how important and morale-boosting it was to know that their fellow human beings care about them. There is often evidence that governments and authorities treat them with more respect. Those in jail or facing trial on trumped-up charges may have their sentences quashed or reduced, or their conditions of detention significantly improved, while those suffering harassment and repression can find that their voices finally start to be heard.
For the first occasion in a number of years – some would say not before time – Write for Rights 2024 will include a focus on a young woman imprisoned in Saudi Arabia, a country whose human rights abuses have become increasingly apparent since the takeover of Newcastle United FC.
The young woman in question is Manahel al-Otaibi.
Manahel al-Otaibi
Manahel is the youngest of three sisters of independent views, all of whom have come to the unwelcome and repeated attention of the Saudi authorities and have openly reported these incidents on social media.
Consequently, Manahel’s eldest sister Maryam received a travel ban for attempting to travel abroad without an accompanying guardian, even though this is now supposedly permissible, and is under effective house arrest.
The second sister, Fawzia, has spent periods of time in jail in Saudi Arabia. Having latterly been released to marry her partner Ahmed, they managed to flee Saudi Arabia when she was called for yet further interrogation and now lives in Edinburgh, adding a poignancy to Manahel’s case that extends beyond the North East.
Manahel al-Otaibi, the youngest sister, a fitness instructor, was arrested after posting a photo of herself wearing western dress in a shopping mall in Riyadh. However, like Fawzia and Maryam, her main crime was achieving a major social media following for her twitter posts in support of women’s rights, an activity which is generally regarded as a terrorist offence in Saudi Arabia.
Sentenced to eleven years in jail by the Specialised Criminal Court in January this year, Manahel has been subjected to solitary confinement in al-Malaz Prison and frequently assaulted. In one incident her leg was broken and in the most recent case, she was stabbed in the face with a sharp pen.
Unlike others imprisoned for similar offences like Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, she has occasionally been allowed to contact her family in Saudi Arabia, but sister Fawzia interprets this as an attempt to silence outspoken comments by herself and other family members.
A fuller account of the harrowing story of the al-Otaibi sisters can be found in the Guardian podcast “The sisters Saudi Arabia tried to silence.”
What can you do?
Because of the violence she has experienced since she started her sentence and the danger of further reprisals, Amnesty International’s briefing on Manahel advises against writing directly to her in prison. Instead, Amnesty suggests sending her cards of sympathy and support at the Amnesty International UK Office for onward transmission to her family. Drawings and photos relating to Manahel’s interests in women’s rights and physical fitness are likely to be welcome. I also know Manahel is enthusiastic about Edinburgh, a city which she frequently read about before her imprisonment.
Write for Rights participants will also be invited to write to the Saudi Minister of Justice, urging for Manahel to be released and the charges against her to be dropped. Social media posts on her behalf are further encouraged, using the hashtags #FreeManahel and #EndMaleGuardianship.
Having twice met Fawzia personally and followed her twitter account, I know how keen she is to secure her sister’s release. I hope that readers of North East Bylines will feel inspired to act on Manahel’s behalf – as well as on that of the eight further cases that will be featured in this year’s Write for Rights campaign.
Full details on Write for Rights 2024 and how you can get involved are now available here. For details of Write for Rights events in the Newcastle area, please contact newcastleamnestyinternational@gmail.com.
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