AKIPRESS.COM - A number of women's rights activists have gone on trial in Saudi Arabia in a case that has raised questions about the kingdom's human rights record, BBC reported.

The first activists were detained last May, shortly before the lifting of a ban on women driving, for which many of them had campaigned.

Charges they face are said to include supporting "hostile elements" and could carry long prison sentences.

Demands for the women's release have come from around the world.

Last week more than 30 countries at the UN Human Rights Council criticised Saudi Arabia for detaining the women.

Scrutiny of human rights in the kingdom has intensified since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October.