Saudi woman activist tortured in jail: father

The father of Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul has claimed that Saudi authorities are torturing his daughter inside the jail.On his Twitter account, Hathloul al-Hathloul, father of imprisoned activist Loujain, mentioned about the sexual harassment and torture his daughter is facing in the prison.Quoting an incident from history, he tweeted: “A girl screamed ‘O Mu’tasim’ (from a Roman jail) and this scream was engraved on the forehead of history."He added referring to his daughter: "There are many stories about the cause of that scream, but it is certain that she was not electrocuted, was not held incommunicado for more than four months, was not sexually harassed and not threatened with rape and murder thereafter."Human Rights Watch quoting “informed sources” said last month that at least three of the woman activists have undergone electric shocks, whipping and “forcible hugging and kissing”. Another report from Amnesty International alleges they were “repeatedly tortured by electrocution and flogging, leaving some unable to walk or stand properly” and “subjected to sexual harassment” .The reports said Loujain al- Hathloul was being held in the Dhahban Prison alongside six other activists, including Samar Badawi, sister of imprisoned blogger Raif Bawai.Canada-based opposition activist Omar Abdul Aziz al-Zahrani said the targeting of al-Hathloul by the Saudi authorities is because she raised her voice, calling for granting women their rights and releasing detainees.Al-Zahrani added: “Al-Hathloul comes from a rich family and her demands were not personal. She was arrested twice in the past, which shows the anger of Saudi authorities at her.”Al-Hathloul was detained by Saudi Arabian officials alongside several other prominent human rights advocates, in what many experts are calling a crackdown on activism in the country.Reports said that the former adviser of the former royal court Saud al-Qahtani supervised the torture of activists. Al-Qahtani is alleged to have issued the order to murder Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Turkish consulate in Istanbul on the instructions of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.