Jan 8, 2022: A human rights group said on Saturday that Saudi authorities had released a princess and her daughter who had been held in the capital for almost three years without charge.

Basmah Bint Saud, a 57-year-old member of the royal family who has long been seen as a supporter of women’s rights and constitutional monarchy, was arrested in March 2019, and in April 2020 implored Shah Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to release her on health grounds.

“She was denied the medical care she needed for a potentially life threatening condition,” the rights group added. “At no point during her detention has any charge been levelled against her.”

Saudi officials were not immediately available for comment. According to sources close to the family, Princess Basmah was arrested shortly before she was to leave for Switzerland for medical treatment. The nature of her illness has never been revealed.

Prince Mohammed has been overseeing the reform campaign since he was appointed by his father, Shah Salman, in June 2017 at the expense of Muhammad bin Naif, the former nominee for the throne. The reforms include lifting decades-old restrictions on women’s driving and easing so-called “patronage” laws that give men free rein over female relatives.

But Saudi officials have cracked down on dissidents and even potential opponents, from preachers to women’s rights activists, even members of the royal family. Princess Basmah was being held at Al-Hair Prison, where several other political prisoners are being held. In a written testimony to the UN in 2020, which AFP saw, her family said her detention was probably due to her “record as a clear critic of abuses.” The written testimony further stated that she was also considered an ally of Muhammad bin Naif.

In November 2017, a large-scale anti-corruption campaign found that Riyadh’s luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel served for three months as a de facto detention center for dozens of princes and high-ranking officials suspected of corruption or disloyalty to the crown.

According to various sources, in March 2020, the royal bodyguards arrested Shah Salman’s brother and nephew, accusing them of inciting revolt against Prince Muhammad.

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