It was not immediately clear whether the indictments were evidence of Saudi Arabia’s intent to vigorously pursue legal charges or a way for the authorities to release the activists under the cover of a judicial process — and, by doing so, dispense with what has become a public relations problem for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s day-to-day ruler.

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The kingdom’s human rights record has come under withering scrutiny in the months since Saudi agents killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October. Human rights monitors, U.S. lawmakers and others have demanded an investigation into the killing as well as closer attention to Mohammed’s policies, including his crackdown on domestic critics and rivals.

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A resolution introduced by a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers in February called on Saudi Arabia to “immediately and unconditionally” release the women’s rights activists.

The announcement of the Saudi indictments came days after Mohammed met with Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser. A White House statement on the meeting, held Tuesday, made no mention of Khashoggi or the detentions of the women right’s activists.

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In May, Saudi authorities began arresting activists who had campaigned to lift a female driving ban and accused them of undermining national security by colluding with unnamed foreign entities. Human rights groups dismissed the accusations as baseless and said the arrests — which came just weeks before the driving ban was lifted — were aimed at preventing Mohammed from being overshadowed in the public consciousness as a champion of women’s rights.

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Amnesty International said in a recent report that 10 of the activists were “tortured, sexually abused and subjected to other forms of ill-treatment” during the first months of their detention in a secret facility.

Alia al-Hathloul, whose sister, Loujain al-Hathloul, is one of the detained activists, tweeted Friday that her sister recently had been “forced” to sign a royal pardon — a possible sign authorities could be moving to release her.

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In an interview, Alia said Loujain had told her family during a visit this week that prison authorities had placed new furniture in her cell, without explanation, a move that raised the possibility authorities are preparing to bring in some kind of official delegation to check on her condition.