Saudi Arabia arrests two more women’s rights activists
More than a dozen such activists have been targeted since May, with most campaigning for the right to drive and an end to Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system
Dubai — Saudi Arabia has arrested two more women’s rights activists, the latest to be swept up in a government crackdown on activists, clerics and journalists, an international rights group said on Wednesday. In the past two days, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said authorities arrested Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sadah in the past two days. More than a dozen women’s rights activists have been targeted since May. Most campaigned for the right to drive and an end to the country’s male guardianship system, which requires women to obtain the consent of a male relative for major decisions. The arrests are at odds with the progressive image the government has projected in 2018 under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Government spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest reports. Badawi received the US’s International Women of Courage Award in 2012 for challenging the guardianship system, and was among the first women who signed a petition calling on the gove...
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