Saudi fitness teacher jailed for women’s rights now faces sexual harassment campaign

A Saudi activist and fitness instructor, Manahel al-Otaibi, has been sentenced to 11 years for her choice of clothing and supporting women’s rights. She is now facing sexual harassment in prison, with a group of individuals following and touching her, making inappropriate comments and disrupting her daily life, according to her sister Fouz and a rights group.

In her phone call from Malaz Prison, Manahel described the harassment by women who appeared bigger than usual and had male-like bodies, before the call was abruptly cut off.

Allegedly arrested for her social media activity supporting women’s rights, particularly for violating the Anti-Cyber Crime Law in Saudi Arabia, her case was later introduced as a terrorism charge in a trial held in secret. This incident adds to the growing list of Saudis imprisoned for speaking out on social media.

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Lina al-Hathloul, of Saudi Arabian human rights group Alqst, disclosed that Otaibi’s case is part of a larger pattern of silencing dissent, especially those commenting on sensitive topics for the Saudi government’s global image.

Manahel is one of three sisters targeted by Saudi authorities, and the family has been vocal about women’s rights in the kingdom, facing travel bans and asylum-seeking as a result.