Two women have been released in Saudi Arabia who advocated for more rights for women in the country. According to human rights organizations, they are Samar Badawi and Nassima Al-Sada. They were arrested in July 2018 and sentenced to five years in prison, two of which are suspended.
The women have criticized Saudi laws that prohibit women from applying for passports and traveling alone. They also defended the right of women to drive their own cars. Remarkably, they were arrested exactly when the ban on women driving was lifted.
Not traveling abroad for five years
The travel ban has also been lifted, but this does not apply to released prisoners. As part of their conditional release, they are not allowed to travel abroad for five years. It is also likely that they have been prevented from speaking about their case in the media or on social media, according to human rights organizations.
Another prominent activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, was released in February. It is not known if the fourth woman arrested, Maya Al-Zahrani, has been released from prison. Some Saudi men who supported women in their struggle for more rights remain in prison.
