Basmah bint Saud: Saudi princess released from jail after almost three years
A Saudi princess and her daughter have been released from a
high-security jail after being held for nearly three years without charge,
campaigners say.
Princess Basma bint Saud was detained in March 2019 as she
prepared to fly to Switzerland for medical treatment.
It is not known why she was detained, and neither she nor
her daughter Suhoud were charged with any crime.
Some have speculated it may have been related to her
advocacy on humanitarian issues and constitutional reform.
Her family told the United Nations in a written statement in
2020 that it was likely due in large part to her "record as an outspoken
critic of abuses", news agency AFP reports.
Other supporters suggest it was her close links to former
crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who is reported to have been placed under
house arrest.
Princess Basma, 57, appealed to Saudi King Salman and Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman to release her last April, saying she had done
nothing wrong and that her health was suffering.
It is not known what treatment she was seeking abroad when
she was detained in 2019.
Announcing her released on Twitter, the ALQST for Human
Rights said she had been "denied the medical care she needed for a
potentially life threatening condition" during her time in the Al-Ha'ir
prison, on the outskirts of the capital.
The Saudi rights group added. "At no point during her
detention has any charge been levelled against her."
Princess Basma is the youngest daughter of King Saud, who
ruled Saudi Arabia between 1953 and 1964.
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