In Pictures

Saudi driving ban ends as women’s rights activists remain jailed

Six female driving activists remain jailed as their peers take to the road legally for the first time in Saudi Arabia.

Hessah al-Ajaji drivers her car down the capital''s busy Tahlia Street after midnight for the first time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. Saudi women are in the driver''s seat for the fir — Hessah al-Ajaji drives her car down the capital's busy Tahlia Street after midnight for the first time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. [Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo]

Women in Saudi Arabia took to the roads at midnight on Sunday, ushering in the end of the world’s last ban on female drivers, long seen as an emblem of women’s repression in the conservative Muslim kingdom.

The lifting of the ban, ordered last September by King Salman, is part of reforms pushed by his young son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in a bid to transform the economy of the world’s top oil exporter and open up its cloistered society.

Women drove up and down a main road in the eastern city of Khobar and cheered as police looked on.

“We are ready, and it will totally change our life,” said Samira al-Ghamdi, a 47-year-old psychologist from Jeddah, one of the first women to be issued a license.

The lifting of the ban has been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent, including against some of the very activists who previously campaigned against the ban.

We are calling on the international community to speak up for the brave #Saudi women’s human rights defenders to Free @LoujainHathloul, @saudiwoman and @azizayousef #SaudiArabia #MBS #Beep4Freedom #Vision2030 https://t.co/NkM3xeiktl pic.twitter.com/74xGuYluTo

— Amnesty Gulf (@amnestygulf) June 4, 2018

They now sit in jail as their peers take to the road legally for the first time.

Loujain al-Hathloul is one of six women jailed since mid-May for their activism – a month before the Saudi Government promised to lift the ban on women driving.

She played a large role in the Women2Drive campaign.

Loujain al-Hathloul Saudi driving activist — Loujain al-Hathloul, here seen driving in Saudi Arabia in 2014, is one of six women who remain in prison for their activism. Al-Hathloul played a major part in the Women2Drive campaign [File/The Associated Press]

Maha Mohammed poses for a photograph on a motorbike as she learns how to ride, at the Bikers Skills institute in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 23, 2018. As the kingdom prepares to lift a ban on women d — Maha Mohammed poses for a photograph on a motorbike as she learns how to ride, at the Bikers Skills Institute in Riyadh. [Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo]

Samira al-Ghamdi, a practicing psychologist, gets coffee while driving her car to work, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia June 24, 2018. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra — Samira al-Ghamdi, a practicing psychologist, gets coffee while driving her car to work, in Jeddah. [Zohra Bensemra/Reuters]

In this June 22, 2018 photo, a woman tests a car driving simulator at a road safety event for female drivers launched at the Riyadh Park Mall in Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) — A woman tests a car driving simulator at a road safety event for female drivers launched at the Riyadh Park Mall in Saudi Arabia. [Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo]

27-year old driving instructor Mabkhoutah al-Mari stands next to a test drivers car at the Saudi Driving School inside Princess Nora University in Saudi Arabia. As Saudi Arabia prepares to lift a ban — 27-year old driving instructor Mabkhoutah al-Mari stands next to a test drivers car at the Saudi Driving School inside Princess Nora University in Saudi Arabia. [Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo]

Dina Yousef, 30, drives for the first time through the streets of the capital city Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the early morning hours of 24 June 2018 when the royal decree lifted the ban on women driving a car in Saudi Arabia. [Ahmed Yosri/EPA-EFE]

Saudi women celebrate after they drove their cars in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, June 24, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed — Saudi women celebrate after they drove their cars in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters]

''Abayas will get shorter,'' said successful fashion designer Eman Joharjy with a smile when asked that the future holds for Saudi Arabia as she models an abaya, the traditional garment Saudi women wear — ''Abayas will get shorter,'' said successful fashion designer Eman Joharjy with a smile when asked what the future holds for Saudi Arabia as she models an abaya, the traditional garment Saudi women wear that covers them from shoulders to feet, that she designed especially for driving in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. [Sean Gallup/Getty Images]

A Saudi woman celebrates as she drives her car in her neighborhood, in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, June 24, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed — A Saudi woman celebrates as she drives her car in her neighborhood, in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Saudi women are in the driver's seat for the first time in their country and steering their way through busy city streets just minutes after the world's last remaining ban on women driving was lifted on Sunday. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters]