Trial resumes for some Saudi women activists

Several Saudi women activists were to stand trial yesterday, said people familiar with the proceedings, after a two-month hiatus in a case that has drawn international scrutiny of the kingdom’s human rights record.

Among those appearing at the courthouse in Riyadh were academic Aziza al-Yousef, who is in her 60s, and conservative preacher Ruqayya al-Mohareb, the sources said. Blogger Eman al-Nafjan was also expected to be present.

The three are part of a group of around a dozen women arrested in the weeks before and after a ban on women driving cars in the conservative kingdom was lifted in June 2018.

Few charges have been made public but those against at least some of them are related to contacts with foreign journalists, diplomats and human rights groups.