Aziza al-Yousef is a

Saudi Arabian Saudis ( ar, سعوديون, Suʿūdiyyūn) are people identified with the country of Saudi Arabia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. The Saudis are composed mainly of Arabs and primarily speak a regional dialect ...

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist and academic. She was detained by Saudi authorities in May 2018 along with

Loujain al-Hathloul Loujain al-Hathloul ( ar, لجين الهذلول ''Lujjayn al-Hadhlūl''; born 31 July 1989) is a Saudi women's rights activist, a social media figure, and political prisoner. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia. Al-Hathloul ...

and five others. As of November, 2018, she was apparently being held in the

Dhahban Central Prison Dhahban Central Prison ( ar, سجن المباحث العامة بذهبان), also known as Dhahban Prison, is a maximum security prison facility located near Dahaban, Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia. It was built in 2015 as part of a renovation of the ...

. In late March 2019, the women presented their defence and described physical and sexual abuse they had endured in captivity. Aziza al-Yousef, together with

Eman al-Nafjan Eman al-Nafjan is a Saudi Arabian blogger and women's rights activist. She was detained by Saudi authorities in May 2018 along with Loujain al-Hathloul and five other women's rights activists in what Human Rights Watch interpreted as an attemp ...

and Dr Rokaya Mohareb were released on bail.

Biography

Al-Yousef studied briefly at

King Saud University King Saud University (KSU, ar, جامعة الملك سعود) is a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdulaziz to address the country's skilled worker shortage, it is the first university in the K ...

as a teenager before moving to the United States to study at

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...

. She completed her master's degree back at King Saud University. Al-Yousef taught computer science at King Saud university for 28 years before retiring. In 2013, al-Yousef was arrested along with fellow activist

for driving through Riyadh by themselves. They were forced to sign a pledge that they would not drive again. In 2013, al-Youssef launched a global awareness campaign following the rape of 5-year girl by her father, a Saudi cleric. In 2016, she helped to lead a campaign against the male guardianship system in Saudi Arabia. She "attempted to deliver to the Royal Advisory Council a 14,700-signature petition seeking to abolish the guardianship regulations but she was rebuffed and told to mail it." Around 15–18 May 2018, al-Yousef was detained by Saudi authorities, along with

, Iman al-Nafjan, Aisha Almane,

Madeha al-Ajroush Madeha al-Ajroush is a Saudi Arabian women's rights activist, psychologist and photographer. She was detained by Saudi authorities in May 2018 along with Loujain al-Hathloul and five others. Women's rights activism In 1990, al-Ajroush took p ...

and two men involved in women's rights campaigning.

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

interpreted the purpose of the arrests as frightening "anyone expressing skepticism about the crown prince's rights agenda". Saudi authorities accused the arrested activists of having "suspicious contact with foreign parties", providing financial support to "hostile elements abroad" and recruiting government workers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yousef, Aziza Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Saudi Arabian women People of the 2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests Saudi Arabian dissidents Saudi Arabian feminists Women's rights in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian women's rights activists Saudi Arabian prisoners and detainees