Two Saudi Women Who Were Detained for Defying a Driving Ban Have Been Freed

Two women’s-rights campaigners from Saudi Arabia, who were detained for defying a ban on female driving, have been released after spending two months in prison, a fellow activist said on Friday.

Loujain al-Hathloul and Maysaa al-Amoudi had been held since Dec. 1, after al-Hathloul, 25, attempted to drive into Saudi Arabia from the United Arab Emirates, Agence France-Presse reports.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women from driving.

“Yes Loujain is free,” an activist who spoke to al-Hathloul after her release told AFP.

Al-Amoudi, a 33-year-old Saudi journalist who lives in the U.A.E., was arrested after she arrived at the border to help her friend. Al-Amoudi’s family says she was also let out of prison.

It is unclear whether the pair still face charges, or if any conditions were put on their release.

[AFP]