• Press Release

Amnesty International Urges Saudi Arabia to Free Woman Supporter of “Woman 2 Drive” Campaign, Jailed After Driving in Kingdom’s Eastern Province

May 24, 2011

Contact: Suzanne Trimel, 212-633-4150, [email protected]

 

Ban on Women Drivers Violates Freedom of Movement, Says Amnesty


(New York) – Amnesty International urged the Saudi Arabian authorities today to free a woman detained for defying the ban on women driving in the Kingdom, Amnesty International said today. The human rights organization said it considered Manal al Sharif, who was stopped by police while driving with her brother, a “prisoner of conscience.”


“Women face severe discrimination on account of their gender in Saudi Arabia and the ban on driving is one aspect of this that perpetuates the restrictions on their freedom of movement,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa Program.


“In this respect, Manal al-Sharif is following in a long tradition of women activists around the world who have put themselves on the line to expose and challenge discriminatory laws and policies. As such, we consider her a prisoner of conscience and demand her immediate and unconditional release.”

Al-Sharif, 32, a computer security consultant, was arrested Sunday, one day after she was stopped by police while driving with her brother, Muhammad al-Sharif in al-Khobar city in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. She had previously uploaded a YouTube video of herself driving a car on May 19 in support of an online campaign, “Woman 2 Drive,” which calls for Saudi Arabian women to be permitted to drive.

Al-Sharif and her brother were detained by the religious and traffic police but released after about six hours and after they had apparently been made to sign pledges that she would not again drive in Saudi Arabia.

Both were then re-arrested in the early hours of  Sunday, taken to a police station and questioned before Manal al-Sharif was transferred a women’s prison in Dammam, where she continues to be held. Muhammad al-Sharif was released late on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the Saudi Arabian prison system reportedly told Okaz newspaper on Sunday that Manal al-Sharif is accused of driving a car, inciting other women to drive, allowing a journalist to interview her while she was driving and planning to publish video footage showing her driving and other offences. He reportedly said that she would be detained for five days while investigations continue.

The “Woman 2 Drive” online campaign has used Facebook and Twitter to urge Saudi Arabian women who hold international driving licenses to start driving on Saudi Arabian roads on June 17. The campaign is encouraging women to drive as part of their normal daily activities rather than converge at one place.

In 1990 a group of women challenged a customary ban on women driving by driving themselves in an orderly procession in Riyadh, the capital. In response, the Minister of Interior issued a formal directive banning women from driving that was then supported by a fatwa issued by the then-Grand Mufti, Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority.

Women in Saudi Arabia face severe discrimination in both law and in practice. They are denied the right to vote, and must obtain the permission of a male guardian before they can travel, take paid work or higher education, or marry. Domestic violence against women is believed to be rife.

“The Saudi Arabian authorities must address continuing discrimination against women and ensure that they are treated as full citizens enjoying equal rights with men and accorded the dignity and respect that they deserve,” said Smart.