Loujain Alhathloul
For the past decade, Loujain Alhathloul has been a powerful advocate for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. She launched the campaign to give women the right to drive in Saudi Arabia – something they were forbidden to do until June 2018. In 2014, she livestreamed herself attempting to drive across the border from the United Arab Emirates, where she had a valid license, into Saudi Arabia. She was stopped at the border and imprisoned for 73 days. Following her release, she continued her advocacy campaign on behalf of Saudi women and became a powerful voice for abolishing the Saudi male guardianship system. For her advocacy, she has received the following awards:
- National Constitution Center Liberty Medal (2021)
- Adoption by the City of Brussels (2021)
- 500 Most Influential Muslims (2021)
- International Civil Rights Museum – Trailblazer Recipient (2021)
- Council of Europe’s Václav Havel Human Rights Award (2020)
- Sergei Magnitsky Human Rights Award (2020)
- Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize (2019, 2020)
- Honorary Citizen of Paris (2019)
- Time 100 Most Influential People (2019)
- PEN America/Barbey Freedom to Write Award (2019)
- Honorary Doctor of the Faculty of Economic, Social, Political and Communication Sciences from the Université Catholique De Louvain in Belgium (2019)
