LONDON -- The prominent Saudi women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was released from prison on Wednesday, according to her family, but human rights organizations have warned she is still banned from leaving the Kingdom and faces a suspended sentence.
Al-Hathloul, 31, was arrested in May 2018, along with 11 other women's rights campaigners. She had been vocal for women's rights and had repeatedly called for an end to Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system.
A little over a month later, women in the Kingdom were allowed to drive for the first time after three decades of campaigning, but al-Hathloul's arrest highlighted the extent to which reforms in the Kingdom were limited with Saudi authorities still facing intense criticism of their human rights record.