Riyadh, July 03: Princess Basma Bint Saud has said she believes that no Arab country, not even Saudi Arabia, is immune from the sweeping wave of popular movements.
The princess, a niece of King Abdullah and a social activist and prominent supporter of women’s issues in Saudi Arabia, said the nation’s rulers need to be more open to changes, Reuters reported.
“No one is immune from the seasonal geographical winds of change that are sweeping our Arab homeland. Those who say we are immune are wrong,” Princess Bint Saud told the state-run BBC Arabic late on Tuesday in an interview that was later translated into English.
She further added that the nation’s moral police have deviated from its original path of preventing corruption, thus creating a society where everyone lives in fear, in particular women.
“Everyone is prone and everyone should heed and must be aware that we must open national dialogue on the table and not wait for the challenges to grow. Let us grant freedom before it turns into challenge,” she said.
The democratic movements have already caused regime change and uprising in several Arab nations.
Despite a ban on any public gatherings, the kingdom has witnessed several demonstrations in recent months.
Furthermore, human rights activists say thousands are held in Saudi jails without charge or access to any lawyers.
——-Agencies