Saudi princess, youngest daughter of the late King Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has appealed via Twitter to her uncle, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the current leader of Saudi Arabia, to be released from detention claiming she has done nothing wrong.
Princess Basmah bint Saud, a 56-year-old businesswoman and an outspoken royal family member, was detained in March last year just before she was due to travel to Switzerland for medical treatment, according to a source close to her family.
The public plea for her release is the latest sign of turmoil within the kingdom’s secretive royal family following the detention last month of King Salman’s brother and nephew in an apparent attempt to stamp out internal dissent.
One tweet from the verified account of Princess Basma bint Saud says she is “being arbitrarily held at al-Hair prison” and that her “health is deteriorating”.
Another asks the king and his son Crown Prince Mohammed to “review my case, and to release me as I have done no wrong”.
There was no immediate comment from the Saudi authorities.
However, a number of high-profile Saudi royals have been detained in recent years.
Princess Basma, is the youngest daughter of King Saud, who ruled Saudi Arabia between 1953 and 1964.
She has established herself over the years as a prominent advocate within the Saudi royal family for humanitarian issues and constitutional reform.
Last year, there were unconfirmed reports that she had been placed under house arrest along with one of her daughters. German broadcaster Deutsche Welle cited a source close to her as saying she had been held on suspicion of trying to flee the country. (Source: BBC)