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Women Who Protested Saudi Arabia’s Driving Ban Remain in Prison

Women’s rights activists who protested Saudia Arabia’s driving ban in November remain imprisoned.

via Robert Daly
via Robert Daly

Loujain al-Hathloul, 25, and Maysa al-Alamoudi, 33, were arrested while they were crossing into Saudi Arabia on November 30. Both women were using driver’s licenses from the United Arab Emirates and aimed to raise awareness on Saudi Arabia’s ongoing ban on female drivers. Al-Hathloul, a UAE-based Saudi journalist and Al-Alamoudi have been held in a Saudi prison for nearly one month and they have been referred to a court on terrorism charges. While driving towards the Saudi border, Al-Hathloul filmed herself and explained that “she is trying to keep up pressure on Saudi authorities to allow women to drive.”

Saudi activists who spoke to BuzzFeed News by phone said that it was the women’s social media activity that led to their arrest. “The officials were waiting for them,” one said, “to arrest them. They had their activity on Twitter all logged, they said the women had been agitating against the [Saudi] kingdom.” Human Rights Watch has called on Saudi authorities to release the women.

Media Resources: Feminist Newswire 10/18/13; BuzzFeed 12/28/15

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