4, 2013 -- Updated 2259 GMT (0659 HKT)
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry issued a
warning to women caught driving and anyone engaging in demonstrations
Saturday, as activists have called on the country to defy a Saudi de
facto ban on women driving.
Saudi women show defiance by driving
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Interior Ministry says calls weren't meant as threats
- Human rights groups call for an end to driving ban
- Saudi Interior Ministry warns women not to drive, protesters not to demonstrate
- October 26th Women's Driving Campaign urges women to get behind wheel
Without outlining how
laws would be applied and what punishment might be doled out to
offenders, Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Mansour
Al-Turki said, "All violations will be dealt with -- whether
demonstrations or women driving."
"Not just on the 26th. Before and after," added Al-Turki. "At all times."
Meanwhile, several Saudi
women supporting the October 26th Women's Driving Campaign say they
received threatening calls Thursday from men claiming to represent the
Interior Ministry, according to women's rights activists who requested
anonymity. The callers warned the women not to drive before, on or after
Saturday, the activists said.
Some of the activists expressed doubt that the callers were actually from the Interior Ministry.
Originally, Al-Turki denied any calls were made, but he later contacted CNN to clarify his comments.
He said the phone calls
were a public relations move the ministry undertook to help some people
understand a written statement made Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia had released a statement that said, "Laws will be fully enforced that day."
The statement, which was
issued on Saudi Arabia's official news agency, also said, "The laws of
the Kingdom prohibit activities disturbing the public peace and opening
venues to sedition."
Al-Turki told CNN that some women were contacted by the Interior Ministry and were asked to not drive.
"There was absolutely no
threat to the women contacted. The communication was made to make sure
the women understood the statement," he told CNN. "It seemed some people
did not understand the statement, and they expressed this publicly in
one way or another."
Several supporters of
the driving campaign said they didn't believe the government was aiming
that statement at female drivers, but at those who might stage protests
in a nation where they're outlawed. Saudi Arabia has tight controls on
all gatherings.
Al-Turki made it clear the statement applies to both parties.
Activist Manal
Al-Sharif, who now lives in the United Arab Emirates after being jailed
for a week after posting a video of herself driving in 2011, took it as a
positive sign that the government has stated its position on women
driving.
"They kept telling the
world that the women's driving issue was one for Saudi society to decide
upon," she said. "Society is now showing it is supportive of the idea
of women driving. The government's reaction makes it very clear this is
not a societal decision. This is a political decision."
She further characterized the government statement as "clarity."
"We've been in the dark for a long time. Now we're in the light and we know what we're facing," she said.
Saudi blogger and
opinion writer Tamador Alyami, a supporter of the campaign who recently
posted a video showing her driving in the city of Jedda, noted that a
Twitter account supporting Saudi political prisoners recently "tweeted a
message saying you have to take advantage of this day, that it's an
opportunity to go out there and demonstrate and ask for the rights of
the political prisoners."
No traffic law
specifically prohibits women from driving in Saudi Arabia, but religious
edicts there are often interpreted to mean women are not allowed to
operate a vehicle.
In late September, an
online movement was launched urging Saudi women to get behind the wheel.
The October 26th Women's Driving Campaign quickly gained momentum, with
its online petition having so far garnered more than 16,000 signatures.
In addition, numerous
Saudi women have already taken to the streets -- filming themselves
driving in various cities, and then uploading those videos to YouTube.
The language of the
Interior Ministry's statement "shows that it wasn't really about the
26th of October movement," Alyami said. "They've known about this
campaign for a few months and there's been no attempt to stop (it). If
they've let it go this far, that should reassure us."
Indeed, many women who have been out driving report having been spotted by traffic police who haven't stopped them.
Alyami said she drove her car again on Wednesday to her parents' house and passed two traffic policemen.
"One of the traffic
policemen saw me and didn't stop me. I was scared, but when he just
drove by and went away, I felt so happy, so reassured and more
determined than ever to go out on the 26th."
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch each issued a statement calling for an end to the ban.
"It's past time to
address the country's systemic discrimination; driving could open roads
to reform," said Rothna Begum, a researcher with Human Rights Watch.
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