Saudi Arabia detains two prominent women activists
August 1, 2018
Saudi officials have arrested two award-winning women's rights activists, who have been campaigning for years to end the male guardianship system in the Islamic kingdom. This comes despite Riyadh's recent social reforms.
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Prominent gender rights activists Samar Badawi (pictured above) and fellow campaigner Nassima al-Saddah were arrested this week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The two female activists are "the latest victims of an unprecedented government crackdown on the women's rights movement," the international rights watchdog said.
The arrests "signal the Saudi authorities see any peaceful dissent, whether past of present, as a threat to their autocratic rule," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW.
Badawi is the recipient of the 2012 International Women of Courage Award and sister of detained rights activist Raif Badawi, who has been in prison for six years on apostasy charges.
Al-Saddah was a candidate in the 2015 local elections, the first time Riyadh allowed women to run. But authorities eventually barred her from contesting the election.
She’s got a ticket to drive
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No major change
Since mid-May, the authorities have detained more than a dozen rights campaigners, accusing them of "compromising national security" and "collaborating with the enemies of the state." Some were released afterwards but have been kept under vigilance.
Women activists have been calling on King Salman to end the male guardianship system, which requires a woman to obtain permission from a male relative to travel, marry, buy property, and other day-to-day activities.
Human rights groups say that Saudi authorities continue to target dissidents despite efforts by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has introduced a string of reforms aimed at improving the kingdom's international image.
In October, 2017, Salman promised that the kingdom would become more "moderate" and "open" and pledged to "eradicate" radical Islamist ideology from Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: Reforms or just power games?
Dozens of princes and former ministers have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption. Could Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman be cementing his control by undermining potential rivals?
Image: Reuters/M. al-Sayaghi
Formation of an anti-corruption committee
Dozens of princes, former ministers and prominent businessmen have been detained across Saudi Arabia in an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign. The arrests happened after King Salman ordered the creation of an anti-corruption committee, headed by his son, Crown Prince Mohammed.
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Reforming the country or silencing potential rivals?
The newly formed committee possesses wide ranging powers, including the ability to issue arrest warrants, freeze assets and impose travel bans. Saudi Arabia's crown prince has vowed to fight corruption in the world's top oil exporter. Thirty-two-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud is widely regarded as the driving force behind opening up the ultra-conservative country.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images/N. Asfouri
One of Middle East’s richest in hot waters
One of the arrested, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, is a billionaire and business tycoon who has extensive investments in Western companies such as Twitter, Apple, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, Citigroup, the Four Seasons hotel chains and the ride sharing service Lyft. One of the Middle East's richest persons, Prince Alwaleed, is also known for being one of the most outspoken Saudi royals.
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'Homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted'
The detainees include ex-finance minister Ibrahim al-Assaf and former head of the royal court Khaled al-Tuwaijri. Three former state officials were also sacked earlier before being detained. "The homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted and the corrupt are held accountable," said a royal degree connected to the arrests.
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Too much happening too quickly
In other developments, the Saudi monarch removed the prominent prince in charge of the National Guard. The development followed the resignation of a close ally, Lebanon's prime minister Saad Hariri. These political developments further shake up Saudi Arabia and the greater Middle East as regional conflicts rage on the kingdom's borders.
