Ten women’s rights activists have gone on trial in Saudi Arabia in a case that has raised questions about the kingdom’s human rights record.
Those who appeared included Loujain al-Hathloul, a prominent figure in the campaign to win Saudi women the right to drive. She was detained last May.
A UK-based Saudi rights organisation, ALQST, said they were charged under the country’s cyber-crimes law.
Demands for the women’s release have come from around the world.
Last week more than 30 countries at the UN Human Rights Council criticised Saudi Arabia for detaining the women.
Scrutiny of human rights in the kingdom has intensified since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October.
Prominent rights activists Aziza al-Yousef, Eman al-Nafjan and Hatoon al-Fassi joined Ms Hathloul and six others in the criminal court in Riyadh on Wednesday, the court’s president confirmed.
According to ALQST, the women were charged in three separate sessions with crimes under the country’s cyber-crimes law, which can carry a sentence of up to five years in jail.
The rights body said none of the women were granted access to lawyers, and the charges were based on “a string of alleged confessions that the women had been in contact with human rights organisations”.
Foreign journalists and diplomats were barred from attending the closed session, though family members were allowed in.
Activists’ relatives said they were told last minute that the trial had been switched to the criminal court from the Specialized Criminal Court, which was set up to try terrorism cases. The reason for the decision was not clear.
The Gulf Centre for Human Rights has warned that the women might not get a fair trial and said it was “deeply concerned” about their wellbeing.
Four of the women have alleged they were tortured whilst in detention, including with electric shocks and whippings, and were sexually harassed and assaulted. The Saudi deputy public prosecutor has said the allegations are false.
