Two Saudi women who flouted the kindom’s ban on females driving were on Thursday referred to a terrorism court after nearly a month in dtention.
Loujain Al Hathloul, 25, and Maysa Al Amoudi, 33, were arrested in the eastern Al Ahsa region on December 1 after driving into Saudi Arabia from the UAE.
They appeared briefly before a local judge on Thursday for only the second time since their arrest.
Activists said this was the first time that women drivers have been referred to the Specialised Criminal Court in Riyadh, and that their detention was the longest of female drivers in Saudi Arabia.
People close to the two women said they were not being charged for defying the driving ban but for opinions they voiced online. They declined to specifiy the charges due to the sensitivity of the case.
They said the women’s lawyers immediately appealed the judge’s decision to transfer their cases to the terrorism court.
At the time of their arrest, Ms Al Hathloul and Ms Al Amoudi had a combined Twitter following of more than 355,000. They were vocal supporters of a grassroots campaign launched last year to oppose the ban on women driving.
Supporters of the campaign delivered a petition to the royal court this month asking King Abdullah to pardon the women.
Though no laws ban women from driving in Saudi Arabia, authorities do not issue them licences.
Ms Al Hathloul is in a correctional facility for juveniles and Ms Al Amoudi is in a prison. Relatives say they have been allowed to see them for short supervised visits.
There has been no official Saudi comment on their arrests.
* Associated Press
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
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Jawab Iteiqal
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2 stars
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