One brave woman's protest against Saudi Arabia female driving ban

A Saudi female activist has been arrested after mounting a brave one-woman protest against the country's female driving ban.

Loujain Hathloul, 25, from the country's capital of Riyadh, spent 24 hours at the border after she had her passport confiscated and was blocked from entering her own country - all because she got behind the wheel.

This afternoon she was arrested and taken for interrogation at Hofuf prosecution office, in the desert kingdom.

The French literature graduate started her journey from the United Arab Emirates, where she holds a driving licence and where it is legal for women to drive, and tried to cross its border into Saudi Arabia yesterday.

But border officials refused to let her cross and took away her passport. She spent a cold night sleeping in her car.

This morning she was taken away be police and was held at Albatha port police station. She was arrested and is now being questioned at Hofuf prosecution office.

She was brought supplies from Saudi journalist and presenter Maysaa Al Amoudi, who had her ID confiscated and is now also being questioned.

Ms Hathloul's fiance Fahad Albutairi said he was heading to the police station where she is being held.

He said: 'She is a smart woman. She is holding up very well, as is her companion. Hopefully things will be over very soon.

'I am heading over to see what happened although I am not sure I will be able to see her because of operation hours.

'When she left Abu Dhabi, she was prepared for all scenarios and for something like this to happen or more.

'She is a very smart, strong, intelligent woman and I know her for a fact to be a person who does not do anything without thinking it through thoroughly.'

Last night, Ms Hathloul tweeted regular updates from the border with pictures and a video of her driving to the border, which has already been watched by nearly 200,000 people.

This is not the first time Ms Hathloul has stirred up controversy.  

Last year she posted videos online with her face and hair uncovered and poked fun at the conservative society in her native country. Those videos have been watched nearly 35 million times.

Her brave actions have sparked a wave of protests across the country, where women in the country are not afforded the basic right of driving a car.

Last night, women in the country came out in force and drove cars around Riyadh in a show of support for Ms Hathloul. They posted videos of themselves on YouTube driving while wearing the full face-covering niqab.

Saudi Arabia is unique in being the only country in the world where women are forbidden to drive motor vehicles.

Women have been barred from driving since the establishment of the state in 1932 and earlier this year, a woman reportedly received 150 lashes after being caught behind the wheel.

Protests and acts of defiance against the ban have grown in recent years, with women posting videos of them behind the wheel to social media.  

(dailymail.co.uk)