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Loujain al-Hathloul (undated recording)
Photo: HANDOUT / REUTERS
She is one of the most important women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia, an important pioneer of women's rights to drive there - and was behind bars for almost three years.
Loujain al-Hathloul has now been released from custody in Saudi Arabia.
“Loujain is home !!!!!!” tweeted her sister Lina, showing a screenshot of a video call her sister made after her release.
Loujain al-Hathloul had campaigned publicly for years against the driving ban for women and against Saudi Arabian law, which places women under the tutelage of male relatives for the rest of their lives.
In May 2018, Hathloul was arrested along with 16 fellow activists - eight women and eight men.
The arrests took place a few weeks before the lifting of the driving ban for women.
It seemed to observers that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who poses as a reformer in Saudi Arabia, wanted to prevent the activists from gaining praise for the reform.
Last December, the 31-year-old was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison.
The reason given was that she had worked to change the country's political system and damage national security.
However, the court withdrew 34 months probation from the original sentence for Hathloul - taking into account the "condition of the accused," as it was called.
Despite being released from prison for five years
In October, Hathloul started a hunger strike to protest the poor conditions under which she and other activists are being held.
But she had to end it after two weeks because of the great pressure from her guards.
Her family and human rights organizations accuse the Saudi authorities of torturing Hathloul while in custody.
Although the human rights activist is now free, strict conditions still apply to her.
She remains on probation for another three years and is also not allowed to leave the country for five years.
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