"It is a confusing time for Saudis, and for women in particular. Some advocates said it was unclear how Saudi Arabia's liberalization would play out in the long run. YJSvAI5HGX- Wenzel Michalski June 20, 2018 Saudi activists reported that the authorities placed travel bans on numerous others since May 15. #Saudi authorities arrested two more women’s rights activists in recent days in what appears to be an unrelenting crackdown on the women’s rights movement. Other activists have allegedly been forbidden from leaving the country. "The women's rights activists detained have campaigned for the right to drive and the end of the repressive male guardianship system in Saudi Arabia for many years." Some have been detained without charge for more than one month, and may face trial before the counter-terror court and up to 20 years in prison for their activism," rights group Amnesty International said in a statement. "Leading women's rights activists and campaigners against the driving ban-including Loujain al-Hathloul, Iman al-Nafjan and Aziza al-Yousef-are among eight activists still being detained in Saudi Arabia for their peaceful human rights work.
Today, only travel and marriage are controlled by the guardianship program, and even that may be altered soon.īut the jailing of women activists calls into question this new, liberal mindset. Under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, advocates said, the government started examining the guardianship program to determine how it could be changed. Movie theaters suddenly began opening their doors, and women started attending public sporting events in January. Public concerts were permitted for the first time last year, and women were allowed to attend. But in order to achieve this, Saudi Arabia has had to liberalize. In the past two years, the government has unveiled plans to diversify its economy and attract more foreign investment. Amer Hilabi/AFP/Getty ImagesĪdvocates of the Saudi government said the country's leadership was serious about making deep societal changes. Saudi Arabia's historic decision in September 2017 to allow women to drive has been cheered inside the kingdom and abroad. Almost every family in the country had a story like that."Ī Saudi woman poses for a photo with a certificate after completing a driving course in Jeddah on March 7. When male drivers are not around…my cousins had heart attacks ten minutes from the hospital, and died because no one could drive. "Because women couldn't drive and there was no ambulance service in the country, kids, men and women died at home. "I myself lost two cousins due to the ban," al-Ahmed told Newsweek. They also need the permission of a male guardian to travel abroad or within the country.įor al-Ahmed, the driving ban had tragic consequences. Women are forbidden from spending time with men who are not related to them, especially in public places.
Saudi Arabia's male guardianship laws mean that women are barred from undergoing certain medical procedures or traveling outside of the country without the permission of a male guardian. Related: Saudi Arabia Arrests Women's Rights Activists Who Violated Driving Ban
"The Saudi government continues to bar women from being recognized as an independent legal entity who can make her own decisions on healthcare, education, work, marriage, travel, sports and many basic rights." "Lifting the driving ban is a sad reminder of the 40 years lost for women's rights and progress," Ali al-Ahmed, director of the Washington, D.C.-based Gulf Institute, told Newsweek. But Saudi activists and human rights advocates said the country still has a long way to go before women have equal rights. Saudi Arabia was the last country in the world where women could not drive a vehicle, and dozens have been applying for a Saudi license in the lead-up to the lifting of the ban. Starting June 24, for the first time in the country's history, women in Saudi Arabia will be permitted to drive.
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