Activists reported that the Saudi authorities released Princess Basma bint Saud Al Saud and her daughter, after she was detained for nearly three years in a high-security prison.
Princess Basma Al Saud and Sohud Bint Shuja Al Sharif were arrested in March 2019 before traveling to Switzerland for treatment.
Neither the reason for the arrest of the princess nor her daughter was known, and no charges were announced against them.
Some link her arrest to her advocacy of humanitarian issues and her call for reforms.
Agence France-Presse news agency reported that the princess’s family sent a written message to the United Nations in 2020, in which they suggested that Basma Al Saud’s record of public human rights criticism would be an important reason for her arrest.
Others believe that the reason is due to her relationship with Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, the former crown prince, who was reportedly placed under house arrest.
“Health problems”
Princess Basma, who is 57, appealed to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to release her last April, saying she had done nothing wrong and that she had health problems.
It was not known what health care she was seeking outside Saudi Arabia when she was arrested in 2019.
Al-Qast human rights organization announced on Twitter the news of the release of the princess and her daughter, noting that Princess Basma was prevented from “getting the medical care she needs to treat a condition that may threaten her life”, during the period she spent in “Al-Ha’ir” prison on the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh. .
The organization said that no charges were brought against the princess at any time.
It is reported that Princess Basma is the youngest daughter of the late King Saud, who ruled Saudi Arabia between 1953 and 1964.