The Sydney woman behind the decision to allow women to drive in Saudi Arabia says she has become the victim of a vicious smear campaign.
Saudi native Manal al-Sharif told the BBC she has been receiving death threats online ahead of removal of the ban, which is due to be lifted on June 24.
Al-Sharif, who is currently residing in Australia, described it as an “organized defamation campaign” targeting the activists, which was similar to the campaign that targeted the movement in 2011.
Several other activists in the kingdom have been arrested recently after being accused of being “traitors” and working with foreign powers.
However, Amnesty International has dismissed those accusations as “blatant intimidation tactics.” The group is accused of “contact with foreign entities with the aim of undermining the country’s stability and social fabric,” the human rights group said.
Loujain al-Hathloul, a well-known women’s rights campaigner, is believed to be among those who have been arrested. She has previously been detained in 2014 when she attempted to drive across the border from the United Arab Emirates.
She was convicted and spent 73 days at a juvenile detention center, where she documented many of her experiences on Twitter.