Arrests Of Saudi Women's Rights Activists 'Point To The Limits Of Change'
The arrested women "could have been powerful ambassadors for the new Saudi Arabia. Instead, they are being branded as traitors," says Kristian Ulrichsen of Rice University.
The dark side of Saudi Arabia's reform campaign became apparent last week when 10 activists, mostly women's rights campaigners, were arrested as the Saudi media denounced them as "traitors." The clampdown comes just weeks ahead of the kingdom's much-publicized June 24 lifting of its prohibition on women driving.
The arrests were widely condemned by Western human rights organizations. But even supporters of the kingdom were taken aback by the move.
"It's a very surprising development," said , a Washington think tank close to the Saudi leadership. "Mistakes
