Economics
Saudi Crackdown Is a ‘Chilling Smear Campaign,’ Rights Group Says
- Human Rights Watch says crackdown is warning to any skeptics
- Saudis detain rights advocates a month before women can drive
Riyadh.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on prominent women’s rights advocates is a “chilling development” for independent critics of the government, Amnesty International said in a statement.
Saudi authorities arrested seven activists last week, one month before the lifting of a longstanding ban on women drivers. Officials accused the activists of working “together in an organized manner to violate religious and national values” and having “suspicious communication with foreign agencies,” according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.