A prominent women’s rights advocate and graduate of the University of British Columbia has been released from a Saudi jail, according to family.
The sister of Loujain al-Hathloul said Wednesday on social media that the 31-year-old was back home after more than 1,000 days in jail.
Al-Hathloul had been detained on charges that included seeking to change the Saudi political system and harming national security.
In December, al-Hathloul was sentenced to nearly six years in prison, according to state-linked media, under a vague and broadly worded counterterrorism law.
Her early release was widely expected as the judge suspended part of her sentence and gave her credit for time already served. The move comes as Saudi Arabia faces new scrutiny from the United States, where President Joe Biden has vowed to reassess the U.S.-Saudi partnership and stand up for human rights and democratic principles.
Although released, al-Hathloul will remain under strict conditions, her family has previously said, including a five-year travel ban and three years of probation.
Al-Hathloul grabbed headlines in 2013 when she publicly campaigned for women to have the right to drive in Saudi Arabia.
— With files from The Associated Press
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