Saudi Arabia begins issuing driving licenses to women

Saudia Arabia on Monday began handing out driver’s licenses to women as it prepares to end its ban on women driving later this month. 

The country issued the first driving licenses to 10 women at the General Department of Traffic in the capital, Riyadh, according to The Associated Press.

{mosads}The 10 women received their licenses after completing a brief driving test. The AP notes that the women had already possessed licenses in other countries. 

The move comes as multiple Saudi women’s rights activists remain under arrest for their protests campaigning for the right to drive. Reuters reported in May that police arrested at least five people who protested the country’s ban on women driving. 

“They detained them because they do not want them to publicly claim success,” said one activist who spoke with Reuters anonymously.

Saudi Arabia has had laws barring women from driving for decades, but will officially lift it on June 24 — a move that has been widely celebrated. Many men have taken to social media to show themselves teaching their wives how to drive. 

The AP reports that the women currently under arrest could potentially face a trial.