Since 2019, and in conjunction with the official propaganda in Saudi Arabia about empowering and respecting women's rights, the young woman Aisha Al-Najibani began to experience ongoing suffering and violations, which persist to this day.
Al-Najibani had been living in an orphanage in the city of Al-Rass in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia since childhood, then was transferred to a comprehensive care centre. Despite the official promotional campaign asserting that care facilities do not compel girls to stay, she attempted to leave, but the administration refused. In July 2019, Al-Najibani started speaking out about her restrictions on social media, filing complaints with relevant authorities and sharing information about the violations she experienced in the facility, including not receiving her allocated financial benefits and other abuses.
Objecting and speaking out against the abuses at the care facility did not lead to solving Al-Najibani's problem but rather to silence her. The Emirate of the Qassim Region took action, and the region's prince sent three letters to three different entities. Among them was a telegram directed to the Deputy Minister of Interior, instructing a one-year travel ban. Another telegram was sent to the Director of Qassim Police, directing her referral to mental health services for refusing to receive 'advisors from the Emirate's Diwan.' Additionally, a telegram to the Public Prosecution to initiate an investigation and file charges against her. As a result, the Public Prosecution in Qassim filed a case against her for displaying 'inappropriate behavior,' accusing her accordingly:
– Her desire to change her nationality is influenced by Saudi girls abroad.
- Posting Twitter clips from a rehabilitation centre that included a recording of the centre’s director without her knowledge.
- Destructing property and filming clips of the gates and the entrance to the guard room.
- Increasing public opinion through her Twitter account and the hashtag #AishaImprisonedWithoutACase.
- Breaking the door lining and trying to break the locks on the external doors in order to escape.
"The Public Prosecution considered Al-Najibani's objections to the facility's management, her publicizing of it, attempting to leave, and sharing recorded videos from inside the facility as violations. Based on this case, the Criminal Court in Buraidah sentenced her to two years in prison and imposed a travel ban for ten years."
In January 2021, Al-Najibani was released after completing her sentence. However, the facility refused her return, leaving her homeless on the streets of Riyadh.
Aisha shared information about the facility's refusal to take her in and the absence of a haven. However, official intimidation prevented sympathizers from helping her. After a period of homelessness, Abdullah Alderbi reportedly assisted her financially in finding shelter. The next day, she was officially summoned without knowing the reasons, and then she disappeared. In May 2022, Alderbi was also summoned and disappeared, seemingly due to his assistance to her.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights believes that the information about the violations suffered by Najibani when trying to leave the facility reveals the reality of the Saudi government's treatment of women's rights in general and its specific claims regarding the role of care.
ESOHR highlights that the arrest, travel ban, and harassment for expressing opinions and talking about violations in care facilities confirm the level of repression reached by Saudi Arabia. Any opinion that does not align with the official direction becomes a punishable charge. The forced disappearance of Abdullah Alderbi, likely linked to assisting Aisha Najibani, is a violation of the right to freedom and safety, serving as clear evidence of the government's intimidation policy.
ESOHR believes that intimidation, repression, and violations prevent access to the full truth. However, the documented stories reveal the deteriorating human rights situation and expose the falseness of the escalating official propaganda, especially regarding women's empowerment.