Two women have been released in Saudi Arabia who stood up for more rights for women in the country. According to human rights organizations, these are Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sada. They were arrested in July 2018 and sentenced to five years in prison, two of which were suspended.
The women had criticized Saudi laws that prohibited women from applying for passports and traveling on their own. They also championed the right of women to drive their own cars. It was striking that they were arrested exactly when the driving ban for women was lifted.
Not traveling abroad for five years
The travel ban has also been lifted, but that does not apply to the released prisoners. As part of their parole, they are not allowed to travel abroad for five years. They are also likely to have been banned from talking about their case in the media or on social media, according to human rights organizations.
Another prominent activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, had already been released in February. It is not known whether a fourth woman arrested, Maya’a al-Zahrani, has also been released from prison. Some Saudi men who supported the women in their struggle for more rights are still in prison.
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