Relatives of Princess Basmah Bint Saud, imprisoned in Riyadh, ask Boris Johnson for help

Princess Basmah Bin Saud, at the United Nations headquarters in New York in 2016.CORDONPRESS

British public opinion has begun to lose patience with the treatment of women by some Persian Gulf countries, and the pressure has shifted to the government of Boris Johnson.

The campaign for the release of Princess Latifa and her sister Shamsa, held by their father, the Emir of Dubai, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid al Maktoum, is now joined by petitions in favor of the Saudi princess Basmah Bint Saud and her daughter. Sohoud Al Sharif.

Both, who have a British residence permit, have been locked up in the Al Hair high security prison in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for two years.

“Princess Basmah and her daughter Souhoud resided in the UK for many happy years and played an active role in British civil society.

In that condition, we ask for your help, ”says the letter sent to Foreign Minister Dominic Raab and the Commonwealth Secretary General.

(Commonwealth of Nations), Patricia Scotland, by the princess's legal advisor, Henri Estramant, and the president of the Grant Liberty organization, Lucy Rae.

"We believe that the Saudi authorities are particularly sensitive at present to any diplomatic pressure, and for this reason we are convinced that an intervention in this sense would make a difference," the signatories say.

Both the princess, who turned 57 this Monday, and her daughter became citizens of the Community of Nations in 2015, when they acquired nationality on the Caribbean island of Dominica in exchange for economic investments, so they have a residence permit. in the United Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia does not recognize dual citizenship, and the two women were arrested in March 2019 when they planned to travel to Switzerland for the princess to receive medical treatment.

“The princess has a chronic heart disease and her health is currently deteriorating.

He urgently needs therapeutic assistance.

The family fears that without the necessary care she could die, and that her life depends on her being released, ”says the letter sent to the British Government.

The private plane that was prepared to transport the two women never took off.

The daily

exclusively published images of the security cameras on the landing of the apartment where the princess lived in Jeddah.

Eight armed men could be observed in the moments leading up to their arrest.

The Saudi government accused Basmah of the crime of having tried to leave the country illegally, and his daughter Sohoud of attacking an agent during the exercise of his activity.

"All the accusations are false.

There is currently no formal accusation.

Nor was it true that they forged their passports.

In fact, the daughter was arrested simply for trying to prevent her mother from being arrested, ”Lucy Rae told EL PAÍS.

“We know that she was allowed to visit the hospital, but she is still very ill.

His contacts with the outside are very limited.

They barely allow her two minutes of telephone conversation with her son a week, ”says the activist.

Al Hair Prison carries an infamous legend.

It is a maximum security center where about 5,000 prisoners reside.

There the feminist fighter Loujain Al Hathloul remained locked up until she was released last February.

She claims that she was tortured during her imprisonment, and the Saudi authorities do not allow her to leave the country.

Daughter of King Saud, who was deposed by her brother Faisal, Princess Basmah has tried unsuccessfully during all this time to recover the lands and the billions of euros that belonged to her father and the entire branch of his family.

Her enmity with Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salmán, who has consolidated his power by arresting numerous rival relatives, political activists and some religious figures, was made worse by the princess's criticism of the regime.

“Princess Basmah has been defending human rights throughout the world for years.

We believe that your work is part of the reasons for your arrest.

Her daughter has been imprisoned for two years in horrible conditions simply for supporting her mother.

We believe that it is something despicable ”, have denounced Basmah's allies to the British Government.

• Imprisoned princess Basmah asks her uncle, the King of Saudi Arabia for help

The pressure on the Saudi regime increased last week, when the US government of Joe Biden decided to declassify a series of reports from its secret services in which it was ensured that the crown prince, known as MSB, approved the operation for which he was journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.