On 15 June 2013, human rights defenders and activists Wajiha Al-Huwaider and Fowzia Al-Oyuni were sentenced by the District Court in Al-Khobar, after many months of interrogation, to ten months imprisonment followed by two years of travel bans for the alleged charge of “Takhbib”, or inciting a wife against her husband. The charges were based on the two activists’ response to a call for help by text message they received from a Canadian wife of a Saudi citizen.

The wife claimed in the text message that she was left without food or other necessities while her husband was away for days attending an event in another city. The two activists went to help the woman only to find police cars and her husband waiting for them at the woman’s house. The husband claimed that the two activists were helping his wife and children to flee the country. 

The trial didn’t adhere to the standards of fair trials and the judge did not consider the testimony of the Canadian wife or other social workers form the human rights commission familiar with the Canadian’s wife frequent requests for help. 

The activists filed a request for appeal shortly afterwards. On 24 September 2013 the Court of Appeal in Dammam city upheld the sentences issued by the District Court on 15 June. Currently, the two activists are planning to file an appeal to the Court of Cassation once they receive the official documentation of the sentence. They filed, along with other Saudi activists, petitions for redress to the governor’s office of the Eastern province and to the royal court to no avail.

Prior to their prosecution, Wajiha Al-Huwaider and Fowzia Al-Oyuni maintained a Web Site called (Menbar Alhewar) on which they published their writings to advocate for women’s rights.  They published statements in response on the charges against them describing the trial as politically-intended to deter their peaceful activism. The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) has issued on 16 June 2013 an urgent appeal on the trial before the District Court.

The GCHR expresses its concern regarding the sentencing of the two activists. Therefore, the GCHR urges the authorities in Saudi Arabia to: 

1. Immediately and unconditionally drop all charges against Wajiha Al-Huwaider and Fowzia Al-Oyuni, as these charges are solely motivated by their peaceful and legitimate work in defence of women’s rights;
2. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.

The GCHR respectfully reminds the authorities in Saudi Arabia that the United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1998, recognizes the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders, their right to freedom of association and to carry out their activities without fear of reprisals. We would particularly draw your attention to Article 6 (c) “Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others: (c) To study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and, through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters” and to Article 12.2, which provides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration.”