Two Saudi Women face a 25 day detention period for driving

Women in Saudi Arabia have been fighting against the driving ban for over a year now. Standing up against the ban, women took photos of themselves driving and garnered global appreciation for their campaign. Some, however, had to face serious consequences. Two women according to a report by Yahoo, were detained after they were caught driving and will be held for 25 more days.

Both women: Maysa al-Amoudi, 33 and Loujain al-Hathloul, 25, are sisters. Even though they were detained for driving, it is still unclear if they will face criminal charges. It has already been a week since the women were detained. Arrested on December 1st, Al-Hathloul was driving into the country from United Arab Emirates when she was caught and was held for 24 hours. Her sister, Al-Amoudi, was driving down to deliver food, water and a blanket, when she was caught.

Many organizations, including Human Rights Watch have called for their immediate release and put an end to the discriminating practice. The women have over 355,000 on twitter combined, who have all shown support for the sisters. Al-Hathloul’s last tweet said: "They don't want to give me my passport nor will they let me pass.”

According to UPI News, Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director for HRW, said, "The Saudi government's degrading restrictions on women are what bring shame to the country, not the brave activists standing up for their rights." The women were both strong supporters of the grassroot campaign against the driving ban that has been active for over a year.