The authorities of Saudi Arabia have released about a hundred political prisoners - FT.

In recent weeks, the authorities of Saudi Arabia have released dozens of political prisoners, reports the Financial Times citing local human rights activists.

According to activists' estimates, about 100 people or even more have been freed, although the official reasons for such a large-scale release remain unknown.

The majority of those released are not public figures, and many families prefer not to disclose information about their arrested relatives, sources from the publication note. However, among those who were released, there are several prisoners whose cases have received international attention.

One of them was Salma al-Shehab - a doctoral student at a British university who was arrested during her return home for the holidays. In 2022, a Saudi court sentenced her to 34 years in prison for social media posts criticizing human rights violations in the kingdom. Among those released was also a school teacher, Asa'ad al-Ghamdi, who received a 20-year sentence for critical remarks on social media.

Middle Eastern experts link this event to the controversial policy of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has effectively ruled Saudi Arabia since 2017. On the one hand, the prince is taking steps to modernize the conservative kingdom: he has stripped the religious police of the right to arrest people, allowed women to drive, and lifted a long-standing ban on cinemas. Moreover, Saudi Arabia aims to strengthen its geopolitical influence by hosting important international negotiations on its territory, including contacts between the USA and Russia.

However, at the same Time, bin Salman’s rule has been marked by unprecedented repression against dissent. Persecution has targeted not only activists and scholars but also religious figures, entrepreneurs, and even members of the royal family.

Human rights organizations are closely monitoring the situation, trying to understand whether the current release of political prisoners is a temporary measure or a sign of deeper changes in Saudi Arabia's policy.

The international community has repeatedly expressed concern about the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. The release of prisoners occurs against the backdrop of ongoing pressure from human rights organizations and some Western countries calling on Riyadh for systemic reforms in civil liberties and justice.

Saudi authorities have so far refrained from making official comments regarding the mass release of political prisoners and its possible reasons.