Saudi woman booked for driving before lifting of ban

Saudi police have penalized a woman filmed driving a car, a spokesman says, warning against violations of a ban on female drivers set to be lifted next June.

Authorities summoned the woman and booked her for flouting traffic regulations after she appeared in a video driving out of a luxury hotel in the capital Riyadh.

“We call on all Saudi citizens to respect the law and wait until the ban on women driving formally ends,” the police spokesman tells AFP.

He did not specify the nature of the penalty, but added that the woman filmed leaving the Ritz Carlton hotel had not been arrested.

Saudi Arabia last month said it would allow women to obtain driving permits under a royal decree to take effect in June, sparking euphoria and disbelief among activists who long fought the ban.

— AFP