Saudi man put behind bars for a year after publicly calling for women to be given more rights
Unnamed man was convicted & fined £6,540 for 'inciting to end guardianship of women', which subjects women to male control
A SAUDI man has been slapped with a one-year jail term after calling for the end to the kingdom's guardianship system, which allows men control over women.
The man, who has also been fined 30,000 Riyals (£6,540 GBP) by a court in Dammam, eastern Saudi Arabia, was convicted of "inciting to end guardianship of women".
According to the, the unnamed man was arrested while sticking posters up in mosques calling for the end to the guardianship system.
After being questioned by the police, officials were able to link the man to an online campaign of the same cause.
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The unnamed man then admitted putting the posters up, explaining they were part of an "awareness campaign" he had started after finding some Saudi women were "facing injustice at the hands of their families".
In September this year, thousands of Saudi nationals signed a petition to end the kingdom's controversial guardianship system, which the court says was started by the defendant.
Saudi Arabia regularly ranks at the bottom of the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index, and was put at number 134 out of 145 countries last year.
Saudi women were finally allowed the right to vote last year - but they remain unable to drive cars, interact with men, play sports, or even try clothes on when shopping.
Under the guardianship system, women are allocated a male family member — usually the father, husband or brother — who must grant permission for study, travel, and other miscellaneous privileges.
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