Saudi women push campaign on driving ban

Saudi women leading a campaign against the kingdom's ban on female driving are calling on the courts to take up their lawsuits demanding the right to drive.

Campaigner Manal al-Sherif said yesterday that she and another woman activist are urging judicial authorities to begin proceedings on complaints they lodged after being refused driver's licences.

Ms al-Sherif claimed she filed her suit in November and it was transferred to the Interior Ministry. She was detained for two weeks last year after posting an online video of herself driving. It helped launch wider protests. No laws prohibit women from driving, but conservative religious edicts banned it and officials comply with those.

AP