So much for being a reformer. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has attempted to cast himself as a voice of change in the repressive kingdom, saying he wanted equality for women and putatively granting them the right to drive. The reality: The most prominent Saudi feminist activists who have been calling for exactly these things for years (3 women, 3 men) have been arrested, imprisoned, and branded as "traitors".
No doubt he thought it "politically expedient".
Gawd, as much as I love words, I despise the rewording of heinous things to make them appear "not-so-bad"!
I worked in Rhyiad one time, years ago, for about 18 months. On loan to The Kingdom from the DoD.
Of all the places I've worked or served, Saudi is the most repressive, feudal, ripe for a revolution place I've ever seen.
Right to drive with permission?
Yep. When I was there, women weren't allowed to drive cars, had to swim in the "children''s pool' at the hotel, lived in a separate part of the house from the husband, could only enter the main part of the home when they were summoned by the man... it goes on and on.....