RIYADH [Saudi Arabia], Saudi activist Manahel al-Otaibi, 29, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for advocating for women's rights and the way she dresses, CN reported, citing human rights organizations, saying the sentence was carried out in a "secret manner." The hearing, held by Saudi Arabia's Special Criminal Court on January 9, 2024, was revealed just weeks after a UN investigation, according to Amnesty International and the London-based Saudi rights group ALQST. The charges reportedly relate to her clothing choices and online activism, including advocating an end to Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system and sharing videos of what authorities deemed "indecent clothing," according to a joint statement by CNN. And that includes going out without wearing an abaya. -Otaibi's sister, Fawzia al-Otaibi, who faced similar charges, managed to flee Saudi Arabia after being summoned for questioning in 2022, Saudi Arabia's mission in Geneva told the United Nations in January. responded to the investigation, stating that al-Otaibi had been arrested under the same. Is accused of committing terrorist crimes by law under a valid warrant. The Mission stressed that no person in the country is detained for exercising their rights and freedoms and that state institutions are obliged to ensure fair treatment regardless of religion, race, sex or nationality. Amnesty International's campaigner on Saudi Arabia, Bisan Fakih, condemned al-Otaibi.The conviction and sentence, calling it an "appalling and grave injustice" that exposes the dishonesty of the Saudi government's women's rights reforms While Saudi authorities have made some progress in dismantling the abusive guardianship system, Amnesty and ALQST Highlights that many discriminatory practices continue. They point to the 2022 Personal Status Law, which, rather than eliminating restrictive elements, reportedly codifies them, particularly in matters of marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance. Ironically, al-Otaibi believed in the reform promises of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Yet she found herself arrested in November 2022 for exercising the freedoms she thought were being promoted. This has happened in the broader context of increasing repression. Amnesty International and ALQST are urging Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release al-Otaibi, noting that Saudi courts have sentenced a number of individuals, including several women, to lengthy prison sentences over the past two years for their social media expression. insisting that his prison sentence contradicts the story.CN reported that reforms and women empowerment have been promoted by the government.