DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Saudi woman who filed harassment claims in Saudi Arabia without being accompanied by a male relative has been sentenced to 300 lashes and 18 months in jail, Human Rights Watch said.
Sawsan Salim lodged a series of complaints in 2007 at government offices and in court in the northern region of Qasim in which she alleged harassment by local officials, the New York-based rights group said. She was sentenced in January on charges of making “spurious complaints” against government officials and appearing “without a male guardian,” the group said.
Saudi Arabia, which maintains a code of Islamic morals, said in June that it would end the male- guardianship rule, said Human Rights Watch. The system requires women to get permission from a male relative to go to classes, work, travel, open a bank account or receive non-emergency medical care. It also requires a woman to be accompanied by a male guardian to conduct public business, the group said.
