Saudi Arabia's furious response to Canada's criticism of the arrest of rights activists in the Kingdom (371) question Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's professed commitment to reform. Having ascended last June to be second in line to the throne, he had promised progressive economic and political change. Since then, Saudi Arabia has allowed women to drive, cracked down on hardliners among the clergy and projected itself as a moderate Islamic country that respects people's rights, compared to "extremist Iran". But when Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland (372) release of Samar Badawi, a Saudi women's rights activist who was detained last week, and her brother Raif Badawi, Riyadh took a series of unilateral steps. Terming Ms. Freeland's appeal as interference in its domestic affairs, it expelled the Canadian Ambassador, called back its envoy from Ottawa, froze trade with Canada and said it would transfer out some 12,000 Saudi citizens studying in Canadian universities. Ms. Badawi (373) Saudi Arabia's guardianship laws that require all Saudi women to have a male guardian. Riyadh is (374) reasons for the arrest. Her brother, who ran a website critical of the Saudi religious establishment, was sentenced to 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes in 2014. On overseas visits, Prince Mohammed has dwelt on his plan to improve women's rights and strengthen the economy. He is also obliquely (375) guardianship laws, saying they did not exist in Saudi Arabia before 1979 - the year of the Iranian revolution and the siege of the Grand Mosque at Mecca.