A Saudi woman was sentenced to 10 lashes for defying a ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia, an activist said on Tuesday, while another woman was arrested in the capital.
Sheima Jastaniah was sentenced on Monday by a court in Jeddah, where she was caught driving in July, the activist said, requesting anonymity. She said Jastaniah “had refused to talk to media about her trial … and we were shocked yesterday (Monday) that she was sentenced to 10 lashes.” Jastaniah will appeal the verdict, she added.
The sentence came a day after King Abdullah announced allowing women to vote and run in municipal polls, and to join the all-appointed Shura (consultative) Council, a first in a country that imposes many restrictions on women.
Amnesty International condemned the sentence, saying it demonstrated the “scale of discrimination against women in the kingdom.”