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Dissenters do not represent a monolithic organized opposition, but rather a handful of activists, writers and social media personalities from diverse backgrounds who express themselves on many issues. They range from those who claim the overthrow of the monarchy to those who want more freedom in the current system.
Loujain al-Hathloul, a prominent women's rights activist, became known in 2014, after 73 days in jail for attempting to drive her car to Saudi Arabia from the United Arab Emirates, where she was living. .
The government repeatedly tried to silence her, stop her or interrogate her, her friends said. But in March, cars filled with security agents stopped her on a UAE highway, where she was preparing a master's degree. They handcuffed her, took her to the airport and threw her on a private jet to Saudi Arabia, where she was imprisoned for a few days.
Her husband, Fahad al-Butairi, a well-known Saudi actor and actor, took part in a project in Jordan. The security guards stopped him there. He was handcuffed, blindfolded and boarded a plane bound for Saudi Arabia, according to the couple's friends.
"It's as if you were not immune," said phone manal al-Sherif, activist and friend of the couple, from Australia where she currently lives. "You can be stopped anywhere and forcibly evicted."
After her release, Ms. Hathloul kept a low profile until armed security forces went to her home in May and arrested her at a wave of gunfire. arrests of women who had campaigned for the right to drive. Most are still in detention, and it is unclear whether they have been formally charged with a crime.
Ms. Hathloul's marriage ended and Mr. Butairi removed his Twitter account, where his biography had declared him a proud husband. In July, she was 29 years in prison.
