The day is Monday, 20th Rajab 1436, 17th April 2017

It's 10:30 am
Nassiriya- Riyadh

Finally, it was a quiet morning. Her body and face are covered in black, Mariam sat
behind her cashier screen. It has been a week since she started her job as a bank
cashier despite her bachelors degree. It doesn't matter, the important thing is that
she's finally independent at the age of 29. A mature, responsible adult, despite the
legal papers that have declared her nothing but a "minor"

Two men and a woman they called the "jailer" entered the place.

"Are you Mariam al Otaibi?" They asked

"Yes"

"Get up and walk with us now, you're wanted"

"Why? What're the charges against me?"

"There's a runway report against you. We're ordered to arrest you and return you
home"

"My home is here in Riyadh. I transferred last week, I work here and I'm not going
back to my family's house"

Mariam was arrested, publicly, like she's a wanted criminal who ran away. Her
house keys in Riyadh were confiscated. The whole house was searched and her
personal belongings, including her cellphone and her laptop and even her clothes
were confiscated! In the investigation, they mentioned her father filed a "runway
report" against her. And that she'll be sent to Al Ris jail in AlQaseem, but Mariam is
still in al Mils jail in Riyad, under investigation.

Her cellphone and laptop are with the investigation and public defense authority in
Riyadh.

Why was Mariam arrested in her workplace and accused of running away? Why, in
the matter of few days, did the charges against her change to "disruption of public
law"? Who is Mariam? And what's her story?

Mariam Nasser khalaf Al Otaibi lived a happy peaceful life with her family, until three
years ago, when her brother (M.) who's one year younger than her, begun to
enforce strict rules on them, claiming he's "cleansing" house. He even incited their
younger brother, Yousuf, to join the Isis, which he did in 2013 when he was 22
years old. Three months later, an Isis fighter announced Yousuf has died in one of
the Syrian army's strikes, he posted Yousuf's passport photo and information on his
twitter account. Their distant family cut all relations with Mariam's family once they
heard the news about the brother.

M. Became a threatening screaming monster, "I will cleanse the martyr's (yousuf)
house" he said. Mariam stood bravely against his extremism, and received threats,
beatings and physical abuse in return. M. Went on threatening their father, who's
their legal "guardian" (with reservation over the term considering she's an adult), to
be more assertive, even abusive, with the girls, or he'll join Isis, too.

After an anguish physical abuse, Mariam finally reported her brother in AlRis police
department, providing a hospital medical report as evidence. M. Was asked to sign
a pledge. And Mariam had to return to her abuser's house and endure more threats
and emotional abuse. Under great pressure from her father and threats from her
brother she had to withdraw her police report. She continued to receive threats from
M., including SMS texts filled with defamation and murder threats. She didnt have
another choice but to file another report, with the SMS as evidence, but sadly,
Mariam was returned to the same house.

Mariam found a safe haven on twitter to document her case. @Mariam_al3teebe,

she wrote about the domestic abuse she endured and the injustice she faced from
the official authorities, she was faced with accusations of lying and having a fake
account, which resulted in her posting a photo of her passport as evidence. This
drove her abuser mad, demanding she stops writing on twitter and deletes the
photo of her passport, which included a personal photo showing her face, in my
country you should stay silent, disappear from existence so the familys honour
remains untouched. M. instigated their father to file an impiety report against
Mariam if she does not withdraw her two cases. She refused to give up her cause
and her right. Under all these circumstances a helpless woman undergoes without
a law to protect her. In November 2016, during all these problems she received a
call from Alris Police claiming it is regarding her defamation and threats report. She
headed over to the police department, and in a shock, she was arrested and
detained in the womens jail, charged with impiety which her father has filed
against her. The story became popular on twitter, turning into a public story of the
abused girl who went to jail while her abuser remains free. Few days later she was
released and brought back to her abusers house, for the third time.

Mariam did not stop writing and looking for an outlay from her house all this time,
Ive had direct contact with her! I was shocked how the Human rights and all the
other organisation she sought abandoned her. Everyone told her its a family
matter and they cant intervene.
Six months after her release from the Ris prison, she managed to get an
accommodation and a job as a cashier in Riyadh. She packed her little belongings
and left her house with no return.
if life is not fair to me, I will be fair to myself and leave this torture. She left a
message behind to her father saying, Ive left the house for you, forever, I hope
you will leave me alone

We go back to mariam now, in the investigation room in the investigation and public
defines authority in Riyadh. Asking the investigator (F.N.A)
Whats the case against me?
Running away from home
I wont go back
oh, seems youll stay with us for a long time

Mariam told her about the reasons she left the house, and the abuse she endured
from her brother and father. The investigator refused to add this information to the
case folder. Mariam asked him to write her workplace address and her resident in
her apartment in Riyadh, he refused and insisted on writing her familys house as
her resident. After a long argument he only added her workplace.

Mariam stayed in the Mils prison for many days, during which she didnt stop asking
about her charges. finally they told her its absence of her fathers house and her
activism activities on Twitter

A number of Saudi women activists were able to find a lawyer (A. Almayof) to
represent her. After looking at the case file, which belonged in the Disruption of
public law in Riyadh unit, registry number 41529, the lawyer disappeared after
knowing the change in the case against her.

Mariam is still in prison. A try to deny her right of choosing her fate and living
independently. Mariams case today is the only witness against the injustice Saudi
women have to endure in our country. Mariams case speaks loudly, giving voice for
thousands of forgotten stories that didnt have Twitter or witnesses to tell it to us.
What should you do to stop the injustice?

1. Change your profile picture to #istandwithMariam

2. Use the hashtag #Istandwithmariam and spread Mariams story now

Freedom to Mariam and all the women in my country.

I