Campaigners on Friday said at least four women's rights advocates have been released from jail after nearly a dozen activists were arrested last week.

Saudi authorities said at least seven of them had been arrested for "attempting to undermine the security and stability of the kingdom," adding that they had offered financial support to "enemies overseas."

However, rights groups believe the arrests were meant to be a warning against pushing beyond the government's reformist agenda. The arrests came a month before a driving ban on women is set to be lifted, a cause that all 11 activists campaigned for.

"We call on Saudi authorities to release all other human rights defenders unconditionally and immediately," said Samah Hadid, Middle East campaigns director at Amnesty International. "This wave of repression in Saudi Arabia must end. These arrests are completely unjustified."

The remaining detainees included 28-year-old Loujain al-Hathloul, who in 2014 was held in custody for more than 70 days for trying to enter Saudi Arabia from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) while driving a car.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 1955: First school for girls, 1970: First university for women Girls have not always been able to go to school like these students in Riyadh. Enrollment at the first school for girls, Dar Al Hanan, began in 1955. The Riyadh College of Education, the first higher education institution for women, opened in 1970.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 2001: ID cards for women At the start of the 21st century, women could get personal ID cards for the first time. The cards are the only way for them to prove who they are, for example in disputes relating to inheritance or property issues. IDs were only issued with the permission of a woman's guardian, though, and to the guardian instead of directly to the woman. Only in 2006 were women able to get IDs without permission.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 2005: End of forced marriages - on paper Saudi Arabia banned forced marriage in 2005, but marriage contracts continue to be hammered out between the husband-to-be and the father of the bride, not the bride herself.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 2009: The first female government minister In 2009, King Abdullah appointed the first female minister to Saudi Arabia's government. Noura al-Fayez became the deputy education minister for women's affairs.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 2012: First female Olympic athletes Saudi Arabia agreed to allow female athletes to compete on the national team for the Olympics for the first time. One of them was Sarah Attar, who ran the women's 800 meter race at the 2012 Olympics in London wearing a headscarf. Before the Games, there was speculation that the Saudi Arabian team might be banned for gender discrimination if they didn't allow women to participate.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 2013: Women are allowed to ride bicycles and motorbikes Saudi leaders allowed women to ride bicycles and motorbikes for the first time in 2013 — but only in recreational areas, wearing full Islamic body covering and with a male relative present.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 2013: First women in the Shura In February 2013, King Abdullah swore in the first 30 women to the Shura, Saudi Arabia's consultative council. This allowed women to be appointed to these positions, soon they would be allowed to actually run for office...

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 2015: Women can vote and get elected In Saudi Arabia's 2015 municipal elections, women were able to vote and run for office for the first time. By contrast, New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote, in 1893. Germany did so in 1919. At the 2015 Saudi polls, 20 women were elected to municipal roles in the absolute monarchy.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 2017: First female head of the Saudi stock exchange In February 2017, the Saudi stock exchange names the first female chairperson in its history, Sarah Al Suhaimi.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 2018: Women to be allowed in sports stadiums On October 29, 2017, the country's General Sports Authority announced that women would be allowed into sports stadiums for the first time. Three previously male-only arenas will soon be open for women as well, starting in early 2018.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 2018: Driving ban eliminated On September 26, 2017, Saudi Arabia announced that women would soon be allowed to drive, causing a flurry of driving courses for women to prepare for June 2018, when they would no longer need permission from their male guardian to get a driver's license or need their guardian in the car when they drive.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 2019: Saudi women to be notified by text message if they are divorced The new law, designed to protect them from having their marriage ended without their knowledge, will allow women to check their marital status online or visit a court to get a copy of divorce papers. Human rights defenders say the law does nothing to address the fact that Saudi women can only obtain divorces in exceedingly limited cases — such as with her husband’s consent or if he has harmed her. Author: Carla Bleiker



The 'moderate' kingdom?



Last year, Riyadh announced it would end a ban against women driving, marking a major shift for Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world to have such a ban in place.

The measure forms part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plans to reform the country. He pledged last year to make Saudi Arabia "moderate" and "open."

But the reforms, which include allowing women to open their own business without consent of a male relative, have been met with hostility by some people in Saudi Arabia.

Ultraconservative clerics have warned the government of going forward with such reforms, saying it would corrupt society.

Bin Salman has also been criticized by human rights groups for not doing enough to protect homegrown reformers, especially in the wake of last week's arrests.

He "sees no irony in taking credit for the symbolic change, while targeting the women responsible for pushing for it," said Amnesty International earlier this week.

Watch video 06:23 Share Changing Saudi society Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2qCdp Saudi Arabia: More freedom for women?

ls/sms (Reuters, AFP)

Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it here.