Saudi Arabia releases Tunisian doctor Mahdia Al-Marzouki from prison
Mahdia Al-Marzouki, who was jailed for her interaction with a pro-Hezbollah social media post, has been released from prison after going on a hunger strike a few days ago.
-
Mahdia el Matrzouki Tunisian medical doctor who was detained by Saudi authorities (facebook)
Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that the Saudi authorities have released the Tunisian doctor, Mahdia Al-Marzouki, who was jailed for her interaction with a pro-Hezbollah social media post.
A few days ago, it was reported that a Tunisian detainee in Saudi Arabia is on a hunger strike to demand an improvement in her prison conditions.
Report I #SaudiArabia Sentences a #Tunisian Nurse, #MahdiaMarzougui, to 15 Years in Prison for Tweeting
— ESOHR (@ESOHumanRightsE) October 20, 2022
🔵Read here: https://t.co/RMsme50aui pic.twitter.com/e1t5Iyem20
A solidarity campaign stormed social media calling for the liberation of Dr. Mahdia Al-Marzouki from Saudi prisons.
🔴 BREAKING
— Prisoners of Conscience (@m3takl_en) April 4, 2023
Confirmed to us that the Tunisian detainee, Mahdia Al-Marzouki, has started a hunger strike since January; in protest of the Saudi authorities' refusal of her request to meet the social attaché at the Tunisian embassy in the Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/AVM155Obz3
Back in November, a Saudi court sentenced Al-Marzouki to 15 years in prison on charges of "insulting the regime," after she "liked" a video of pro-Hezbollah rallies in the Tunisian capital.
The brother of the Tunisian doctor, Mahdia Al-Marzouki, said that his sister (51 years old), who has been living and working in Saudi Arabia since 2008, was arrested by the Saudi authorities in 2020 after her interaction with a video published on “Twitter” of a demonstration in support of “Hezbollah” in front of the municipal theater on St. Habib Bourguiba in the Tunisian capital.
Read more: KSA sentences Tunisian doctor to 15 years for reacting to a Tweet
The doctor's brother also specified that the investigation process lasted a full year, after which she was sentenced to two years and 8 months in prison, the verdict was nullified before the sentence had ended to be extended to 15 years in prison.
At the time, Al-Marzouki's brother called on Tunisian President Kais Saied and Tunisian authorities to intervene to release his sister from Saudi prisons.
Read more: Saudi officials meet with Al Houthi in Sanaa to discuss peace process
A Saudi delegation traveled to Sanaa to meet with high-ranking officials from the Ansar Allah movement to discuss further details of the final ceasefire agreement and the end of the 8-year Saudi-led war on Yemen.
The delegation arrived on Saturday evening and held talks with Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi, a senior member of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council and important figures of the National Salvation Government of Yemen.
Pictures were circulated in Yemeni media outlets today, showing a Saudi official shaking hands with Al-Houthi. The Saudis reportedly asked for their identities to remain secret in the meantime.
Read more: Iran, Saudi FMs meet for first time in seven years in Beijing
Regional conflicts have begun to ease after China mediated diplomatic talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in early March.
Talks between the two countries produced the first meeting between the Foreign Ministers of both countries in 7 years.
China played a crucial role in the restoration of ties between the two countries. However, it is speculated that the success of Ansar Allah in Yemen has pushed Saudi Arabia to the negotiation table after 8 tormenting years of what was supposed to be a quick military victory for the country.
