MORE than 160 European parliamentarians have demanded the immediate release of female human rights campaigners in Saudi Arabia and the end of the male guardianship system.

In a joint statement published today to mark International Women’s Day, the members of the British, Irish, German and European parliaments called on the Saudi authorities to end discrimination against women, saying that the meagre reforms introduced in the past few years “are not enough.”

“Women cannot yet therefore freely make decisions about their education, employment, health or who they want to marry; neither can they pass their nationality on to their children,” said the statement issued by Saudi human rights group ALQST.

“Moreover, gender-based violence is not adequately defined in law and criminalised, and new reforms to protect women from abuse lack adequate means of enforcement, leaving many trapped in abusive relationships.

“Disobedience” by a woman towards her male guardian (father, husband, brother or even son) also remains a crime, effectively rendering any new freedoms null and void. 

“While a woman may now legally be entitled to apply for her own travel document and study abroad, she can be stopped by her male guardian from ever leaving the country if he files a case against her of disobedience or absconding.”

But what most clearly undermines the reactionary Gulf kingdom’s claims of genuine reform is its treatment of those women that have led the fight for women’s rights, the statement said.

“In 2018, a number of these women were rounded up, arrested, tortured and portrayed in the official media as traitors and spies. Some have been temporarily released while still on trial, but others, including Nassima al-Sadah and Samar Badawi, remain in detention,” it said.

Loujain al-Hathloul was released last month after 1,000 days in jail. She will appear in court tomorrow to pursue an appeal against her conviction, which has led to her being placed on three years’ probation and banned from travelling for five years.