Saudi Arabia Now Issues Driving Licenses to Women

For the first time, Saudi Arabia has issues driving licenses to 10 women as a first step towards eventually lifting the world’s only ban on female drivers.

The country is believed to completely lift the ban in three weeks from now. Even so, some people who campaigned and marched for the right to drive are still under arrest.

A statement released by the government reported that the 10 women who were given licenses already held one from other countries such as the US and UK, Lebanon and Canada.

The ladies took a brief driving exam and an eye test before being handed the licenses at the traffic department in Riyadh.

At the same time, women across the country have been preparing for the driving exam on 24th of June by taking courses on female-only college campuses. Even more, some of them are taking the exam in order to become drivers for ride-hailing companies such as Uber.

For a long time, women in Saudi Arabia have been complaining that they need to hire expensive male drivers, use taxis and rely on their relatives to get to work and run errands.

Sadly, some activists who marched for the right to drive remain under arrest and face possible trial. The prosecutor reported that 17 people had been detained in the last few weeks due to suspicion of trying to undermine security and stability.

Even more, the statement declared that 8 people have been momentarily released, while five men and four women are still under arrest.

Among them are Loujain al-Hathloul, Aziza al-Yousef and Eman al-Nafjan, known for being well-known activists in the country.

Source: theguardian.com