On Sunday, women in Saudi Arabia will be able to drive across the kingdom for the first time, a decision that has been applauded inside and outside the country.
In recent weeks, women have been sharing pictures of their new licences online. Sara Alrumikhani posted hers on Twitter, while thanking King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
"It is no longer a dream under your kind leadership, it has become a reality. I received the licence today," she wrote.
However, lifting the ban has been accompanied by a surprising crackdown, targeting activists who have focused on women's rights, including those who led campaigns to allow women get behind the wheel.
"It is shocking for me to witness this vicious attack," said Hala Aldosari, a Saudi activist and researcher, currently based in the United States.
The crackdown started in May leading to the arrest of at least 19 activists, eight of whom have been granted "temporary release orders." They are accused of co-ordinating with individuals and organisations hostile to Saudi Arabia to undermine the security, stability and national unity of the kingdom.
Aldosari said she is shocked because of the timing of the arrests. Also, "because of the restriction on the [freedom of] expression" activists have shared all their plans on social media.
"Whatever steps we took as activists, we tried as much as possible to show what we were doing publicly and to engage as many groups of people in Saudi Arabia as possible," she said.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the activists could soon be referred to the specialised criminal court, originally established to deal with terrorism-related offences. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.
Saudi women have long campaigned for the right to drive, sometimes organising a co-ordinated show of force by driving in the kingdom. The first large-scale campaign to defy the ban was in 1990.
Other campaigns were held after 2011, during which some women were detained and only released after signing a pledge that they would not drive again.
When the decree lifting the driving ban was first issued in September, hundreds of women took to social media to thank and praise the crown prince.
This prompted the royal court to instruct some female activists inside and outside Saudi Arabia not to make any comments on the decision, according to Aldosari.
The decision comes as part of social and economic reforms championed by the 32-year-old heir to the throne and his ambitious Vision 2030 plan, in a bid to open the country up to investments and diversify the kingdom's oil-reliant economy.
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