'Won't Give Up': Siblings Of Jailed Saudi Women's Rights Activist Speak Out In U.S.

Saudi siblings Lina and Walid Alhathloul check their phones constantly for any mention of their sister on social media. They have already done four interviews on the day of the PEN awards and sit down for a fifth, because, they say, this is the only way to help their sister, 29-year-old jailed Saudi activist Loujain Alhathloul.

"We want to raise awareness," says Lina Alhathloul, a lawyer living in exile in Belgium.

On Tuesday, Loujain Alhathloul was honored with the 2019 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award. Two of her siblings were in New York to accept the award on her behalf. Two other jailed Saudi writers, Nouf Abdulaziz and Eman al-Nafjan, were also honored by the freedom of expression advocacy group. (PEN America linked to some of their key writing here.)