Amnesty Intl urges S.Arabia to release female activists

By Diana Shalhoub

LONDON (AA) - Amnesty International has called on Saudi Arabian authorities to immediately release women human rights activists, including those who are "being punished for daring to drive."

The kingdom on Thursday marked the second anniversary of the end of the ban on women driving.

"It’s been almost two years since the Saudi authorities detained Loujain al-Hathloul, Iman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef, and a group of Saudi women activists simply for demanding equality and defending human rights in the kingdom," the group's UK chapter said in a statement.

"For the first three months of their detention, several of the women activists endured torture, sexual abuse and other forms of ill-treatment when they were held incommunicado and in solitary confinement with no access to their families or lawyers."

Up until June 24, 2018, Saudi Arabia had been the only country in the world to prevent women from driving, and even jailed some who defied the ban.

Amnesty UK has launched a “Beep for freedom” campaign in support of the persecuted women’s rights defenders.

The campaign involves supporters sharing photos of themselves behind the wheel of a car or sharing the campaign’s “Beep For Freedom” car horn symbol, with an appeal to the Saudi authorities to “immediately and unconditionally” release the activists and drop all charges against them.

Dissidents in the conservative country are often arbitrarily detained without charge or trial.

* Nour Abdullah contributed to this report from Ankara