A Saudi woman who violated the kingdom’s controversial ban on female drivers was sentenced to 10 lashes, according to media reports on Tuesday.
Shayma Ghassaniya, the driver, was found guilty of driving in July in Jeddah, according to the Arab News daily.
“I am still in shock and I cannot think straight because of everything I have had to go through,” she told the publication, adding that she has already submitted an appeal as she holds an international driving license.
The sentencing is the first of its kind since the social media movement, Women2Drive, started campaigning in the conservative kingdom several months ago. In the past, women that were caught driving were detained for several days.
Two other women are slated to appear in court in a few months on similar charges, according to the daily.
Just a day ago, Saudi Arabia King Abdullah announced that women would have the right to vote and seek office in the country’s municipal elections.
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to have a ban on female driving. There is no written law that prohibits women from driving, but police usually arrest offenders on religious grounds, which has the same power as law in the country.
