Asmaa al-Subaie
Additional Name(s): أسماء السبيعي
Gender: Female
Perpetrator: Saudi Arabia
Ethnic Group: Arab
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: June//2021
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Criticizing Religious Freedom Conditions Online Activity Resisting State-Imposed Religious Systems Women’s Rights
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Asmaa al-Subaie
Extra Bio Info:
Asmaa al-Subaie is detained for her women’s rights activism critical of state-imposed religious systems.
In June 2021, authorities affiliated with the Presidency of State Security arrested al-Subaie, a university student, over tweets she made criticizing the harsh sentences against those calling for changes to the guardianship system and other laws affecting women.
In June 2022, al-Subaie appeared in a reportedly forced interview on state-run television promoting Saudi government policies from Al-Ha’ir, the political prison in Riyadh.
In April 2025, authorities reportedly released al-Subaie.
Publicly Available Information:
- "More activists released while others languish in prison" Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
- معتقلي الرأي, Tweet, June 2, 2022
- USCIRF Annual Report 2022: Saudi Arabia
- “Saudi Arabia: Authorities continue systematically targeting influential citizens, human rights defenders, journalists and Internet activists” Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)