The case of al-Hathloul and other Saudi human rights activists is a testament to the country’s dismal human rights record and its propensity to silence any dissent.

Even though the lifting of the ban on women drivers was seen as a step forward for women’s rights in the country, it was also criticised for being a mere distraction from the country’s dismal human rights record.

The recent abolishment of flogging as a form of corporal punishment is a positive step that the country has taken. Yet, the state’s continued repression of freedom of expression, association and assembly, along with cases of arrests of human rights activists, begs the question of whether the country is truly moving in a progressive direction.