<div>Saudi rights groups claimed on Wednesday that a decision to sentence a woman to 10 lashes for driving her car was payback by the ruling class for this week's landmark speech by King Abdullah, which cleared the way for women to participate in elections.
The sentence is believed to be the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia that has not involved a violation of Islamic law. It was handed down in the wake of around 20 women being arrested over the past few months for taking to the wheel as part of a campaign to showcase their lack of rights in the rigidly conservative society.
Last night it was reported that King Abdullah had intervened to revoke the sentence. The news came in a tweet from Princess Ameerah, wife of billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.
Earlier the convicted woman, Shaimaa Justaneyah, was reportedly in shock at the sentence. "I cannot think straight because of what I have had to go through," Justaneyah told the website Arab News.
Another female driver, Najla Hariri, is due to stand trial in front of the same prosecutor early next month.
Justaneyah's friend Samar Bedawi, who also drives her car around the Red Sea city of Jeddah, said the sentence undermined the king's speech, which had won plaudits from the international community.
"She is depressed and doesn't want to talk about it, mainly because of the tribal rules which forbid using our names like this in the media," said Bedawi. "She is very scared. The king's speech was intended to quieten the religious current in Saudi Arabia. Both the judges reacted to this and want to show that they clearly hold the reins.
"It was a big breakthrough when the king announced that women could vote
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The sentence is believed to be the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia that has not involved a violation of Islamic law. It was handed down in the wake of around 20 women being arrested over the past few months for taking to the wheel as part of a campaign to showcase their lack of rights in the rigidly conservative society.
Last night it was reported that King Abdullah had intervened to revoke the sentence. The news came in a tweet from Princess Ameerah, wife of billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.
Earlier the convicted woman, Shaimaa Justaneyah, was reportedly in shock at the sentence. "I cannot think straight because of what I have had to go through," Justaneyah told the website Arab News.
Another female driver, Najla Hariri, is due to stand trial in front of the same prosecutor early next month.
Justaneyah's friend Samar Bedawi, who also drives her car around the Red Sea city of Jeddah, said the sentence undermined the king's speech, which had won plaudits from the international community.
"She is depressed and doesn't want to talk about it, mainly because of the tribal rules which forbid using our names like this in the media," said Bedawi. "She is very scared. The king's speech was intended to quieten the religious current in Saudi Arabia. Both the judges reacted to this and want to show that they clearly hold the reins.
"It was a big breakthrough when the king announced that women could vote
More...