Saudi woman driver trial in 'Terrorism Court'

[DrLeftover]

3 December

The name of a woman who live-tweeted her attempt to drive across the Saudi Arabian border has become an international trend, as rumours of her arrest circulate online.

On 30 November Saudi activist, Lujain Al-Hathlool, filmed herself driving in the United Arab Emirates with the intention of crossing the border back to her home country as a part of the ongoing '26 October' campaign, which challenges the Saudi ban on female drivers. The video has had over 800,000 views and over 3,000 comments on YouTube.

Al-Hathlool also documented her journey on Twitter, saying "follow me to find out what will happen at the border". Arriving at the border with Saudi Arabia, she live-tweeted the moment when she was stopped by a Saudi customs officer at the border. Straightaway, Al-Hathlool's name in Arabic became an international social trend.

She tweeted that officials had taken aside, and were making phone call after phone call. Hours went by. Her friend and UAE-based Saudi journalist Maysaa Al-Amoudi, drove to the border from Dubai to bring her supplies.

"Twenty-four hours spent on the border of Saudi," Al-Hathlool tweeted to her 233,000 followers on 2 December. "They won't give me back my passport and they won't let me pass through and no word from the Ministry of Interior. Complete silence from all the officials".

Since then, her timeline has been silent.

An Arabic hashtag that translates to "Lujain Al-Hathlool arrested" has been tweeted nearly 500,000 times, although BBC Trending was not able to confirm the arrest with the Saudi authorities.

But a statement by Human Rights Watch says activists have told the organisation that both Al-Hathlool and Al-Amoudi have been detained and it is calling on the Saudi authorities to release the two women.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-30316837

 

[Webster]

RE: Saudi woman driving blog 'arrest'

Remind me again how enlightened Saudi Arabia is....
...or, for that matter, most of the Middle East in regards to women....

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

RE: Saudi woman driving blog 'arrest'

And where are the leaders of the oh so hypocritical American feminist movement? Free birth control must be more important then real womens freedom problems.

 

[Webster]

RE: Saudi woman driving blog 'arrest'

There are times where I honestly wish conservatives would throw the Left's "war on women" mantra right back at 'em....

..and, because the Left loves to idolize him:

 

[beowulf]

RE: Saudi woman driving blog 'arrest'

its not the country but the religion/culture....................outdated and backward with no place in the modern world

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: Saudi woman driving blog 'arrest'

Saudi terrorism court 'to try women drivers'
25 December 2014

Two Saudi women who were detained for defying a ban on female drivers are to be tried in a terrorism court, activists say.

Loujain al-Hathloul, 25, and Maysa al-Amoudi, 33, have been in detention for nearly a month.

The women's cases had reportedly been transferred over comments they had made on social media - rather than for their driving, according to activists.

Saudi Arabia is the world's only country to forbid women from driving.

While it is not technically illegal for women to drive, only men are awarded driving licenses - and women who drive in public risk being fined and arrested by the police.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30602155

 

[Webster]

*deadpans* Remind me again just where the war on women is actually being waged?