Saudi Arabia has released two prominent women’s rights activists Human Rights News

Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sadah were arrested in August 2018 as part of a crackdown on dissident government.

A rights group has confirmed that Saudi Arabia has released two major women’s rights activists who have been detained for nearly three years.

“Human rights defenders Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sadah have been released after the end of the sentences against them,” ALQST said in a tweet on Sunday in support of Human Rights.

INFRINGEMENT: Notable #Saudi Women human rights defenders Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sadah have been released after serving their sentences against them. pic.twitter.com/m1qEPLvpuH

– Human Rights ALQST (@ALQST_En) June 27, 2021

The activists were arrested in August 2018, in protest of the peaceful dissent against the then-expanding government.

Most of the prisoners, it is estimated to be in the tens, advocated for the right to drive and the tutelage system of men in the kingdom, as women must obtain the permission of a male relative for important decisions.

Badawi received the International Women’s Courage Award in the United States in 2012 for challenging the mentoring system, and was among the first women to sign a petition to guide, vote, and nominate women to the government in local elections.

She is also the sister of a prominent human rights campaigner, Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2014 on his blog for “insulting Islam”.

That they have released wonderful Saudi human rights defenders @ samarbadawi15 and @ nasema33 it’s the best news I’ve heard recently, but they should never be jailed and deserve justice / compensation for arbitrary detention. pic.twitter.com/XBKmexfjyv

– Adam Coogle (@cooglea) June 27, 2021

Al-Sadah, a quiet Shiite-majority province of Qatif, has campaigned for the right to drive and the abolition of the tutelage system. She was a candidate in the 2015 local elections, and women ran for the first time in the election.

Authorities eventually removed his name.

Among the women’s rights activists arrested in 2018 is Eman al-Nafjan, Loujain al-Hathloul, Aziza al-Yousef, Aisha al-Manea, Ibrahim Modeimigh and Mohammed al-Rabea.

Although authorities overturned a ban on driving women a decade ago, Saudi authorities justified the arrests by claiming that the activists had suspicious relationships with foreign entities and offered financial assistance to “enemies from abroad”.