Human rights activists are campaigning to save the life of the first woman in Saudi Arabia to be sentenced to death over her political activism. 

Israa al-Ghomgham, 29, was arrested along with her husband Moussa al-Hashem in December 2015 for their roles in organising anti-government protests in eastern Qatif province in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.  

The Administrative Appeals Court in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern province has reportedly appointed the first female arbitrator in a commercial case.

Arab News reports that Shaimaa Sadeq Al-Jibran’s appointment came despite the objections of one of the parties in the case because she is a woman.

Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system remains the most significant impediment to women’s rights in the country despite limited reforms over the last decade, Human Rights Watch said in a report released last month. Adult women must obtain permission from a male guardian to travel abroad, marry, or be released from prison, and may be required to provide guardian consent to work or get health care.

For the first time in Saudi Arabia, a country known for neither it