There is a shocking new development to a story that was featured earlier this week coming out of Saudi Arabia. In the featured article, a Saudi woman posted a video of herself walking around a local historical site in a miniskirt, thus defying the conservative dress code of the Muslim country.
Since her post hit the popular social media platform Snapchat, the woman was met with fierce criticisms and even calls for arrest. The controversial video sparked endless debate between Saudia Arabia's conservative public and the country's more progressive inhabitants.
Unfortunately, the young woman is now paying the price for her bold choice of attire, as police in Riyadh announced today that the woman has been arrested on charges of wearing "indecent clothing." She's reportedly being questioned, according to a state television statement obtained by CBS News.
According to CNN, the woman told Riyadh police that "the viral videos were published by an account attributed to her without her knowledge."
The statement, which came from Al Ekhbariya TV, also stated that the woman's case has been referred to the general prosecution department in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. On Sunday, a spokesperson for the Saudi government's Committee For the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice claimed the video was under investigation for the dress code violation.
In defense of her actions, the woman said she had been accompanied by a male guardian in the video and had not broken laws that forbid women from traveling alone. But that's not likely to excuse her for the dress code violation that has sparked so much outrage.
Her case is now being reviewed by a public prosecutor who will decide whether to charge her with a crime and faces fines and the possibility of a prison sentence if she's convicted of breaking Islamic law, according to Telegraph.
Saudi Arabia's track record for human and women's rights is at best a disaster, leaving the international community wondering what to make of this situation. MRCTV will continue to cover this story as it progresses to keep you filled in.
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