Saudi woman to be lashed for driving car
A Saudi woman has been sentenced to 10 lashes for defying the kingdom’s ban on female drivers.
Shaima Ghassaniya was found guilty of driving without the government’s permission.
No laws prohibit women from driving but conservative religious edicts have banned it, amid claims it protects women and relieves them of the obligation to drive, while also preventing them from leaving home unescorted or travelling with an unrelated male.
Najalaa Harriri said she needed to drive to take better care of her children.
The verdict is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia. Other women were detained but had not been sentenced by a court.