Saudi Arabia has issued its first driver’s licenses to 10 women ahead of June 24, when the Kingdom’s due to end the world’s only ban on women drivers.
Officials expect another 2,000 women to seek licenses in the coming week, according to a news release from the country’s Ministry of Media.
Activists have long called for the lifting of the ban, and there was some celebration when the Kingdom said last September that the ban would end. However, in recent weeks a number of activists who’d protested against the ban were arrested.
The arrests worried women’s rights activists and those monitoring the social reform agenda of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Last year, the crown prince, regarded as a major power in the country, outlined an ambitious plan to reform the Saudi economy by 2030. Part of that goal includes increasing the number of women in the workforce.
On Saturday, the Saudi government “temporarily” released eight activists who were arrested in May for protesting against the ban. Five women and three men were released, but another nine activists remained in custody, according to a statement from Saudi Arabia Public Prosecution. – READ MORE
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