Women in Saudi Arabia have been allowed to drive since the kingdom lifted the ban in June 2018, one of the historic social reforms inaugurated over the last few years by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman. Under the crown prince, the kingdom has encouraged women to work and loosened the guardianship system that gave women’s fathers, husbands or brothers the final say over their travel, employment and marriage plans. “My sister is not a terrorist, she is an activist,” her sister, Lina al-Hathloul, said in a statement on Monday. “To be sentenced for her activism for the very reforms that MBS and the Saudi kingdom so proudly tout is the ultimate hypocrisy,” she added, referring to the crown prince by his initials. Saudi officials have dismissed any connection between the charges against Ms. al-Hathloul and her activism, instead saying that she was arrested because she was working with foreign entities hostile to Saudi Arabia.

Source: New York Times December 28, 2020 14:26 UTC