10 of them, to be exact. Najla Hariri is one of two women facing punishment because she dared to challenge the Kingdoms ban on female drivers. The good news is, Hariri can now vote in local elections and run for local office, the bad news is that she will have to be driven there by a related male.
From the Telegraph September 28
From the Telegraph September 28
Saudi woman to be lashed for driving car
Equal rights in Saudi Arabia
Amnesty International reported the sentence just two days after Saudi King Abdullah granted women the right to vote and run in municipal elections.
"Flogging is a cruel punishment in all circumstances but it beggars belief that the authorities in Saudi Arabia have imposed lashes on a woman apparently for merely driving a car", Philip Luther, an Amnesty regional deputy director, said in an emailed statement.
"Allowing women to vote in council elections is all well and good, but if they are still going to face being flogged for trying to exercise their right to freedom of movement, then the king's much trumpeted 'reforms' actually amount to very little," Mr Luther said.
Two other women are also believed to be facing charges related to driving, the Amnesty statement said.
Najla Hariri, one of the women facing charges, told Reuters: "They called me in for questioning on a charge of challenging the monarch on Sunday... I signed a pledge not to drive again, although my driving was a result of necessity not an act of defiance."
The mere act of driving is an act of defiance.
No comments:
Post a Comment