--- description: Two Saudi rights campaigners who were detained for defying a ban on female driving have been released after spending two months in prison title: Saudi Women Released After Defying Driving Ban image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7b6dfe45a7ec1f03/6987773e35ba6f59adc06334/mideast-saudi-arabia-_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Saudi Arabia](/tag/saudi-arabia/) ## Saudi Arabia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Two Saudi Women Who Were Detained for Defying a Driving Ban Have Been Freed by [Helen Regan](/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 13, 2015 7:45 AM CUT  This Nov. 30, 2014, image made from video released by Loujain al-Hathloul, shows her driving toward the United Arab Emirates–Saudi Arabia border before her arrest on Dec. 1, 2014, in Saudi Arabia This Nov. 30, 2014, image made from video released by Loujain al-Hathloul, shows her driving toward the United Arab Emirates–Saudi Arabia border before her arrest on Dec. 1, 2014, in Saudi ArabiaLoujain al-Hathloul—AP by [Helen Regan](/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 13, 2015 7:45 AM CUT Two women’s-rights campaigners from Saudi Arabia, who were detained for defying a ban on female driving, have been [released](http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-womens-rights-campaigners-freed-prison-232945265.html "undefined") 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. \[[_AFP_](http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-womens-rights-campaigners-freed-prison-232945265.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3708599/saudi-women-driving-ban/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3708599/saudi-women-driving-ban/"},"headline":"Two Saudi Women Who Were Detained for Defying a Driving Ban Have Been Freed","datePublished":"2015-02-13T07:45:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:24:13.275Z","description":"The pair had spent two months in jail","url":"https://time.com/3708599/saudi-women-driving-ban/","keywords":["Saudi Arabia","women's rights","Prison","United Arab Emirates","release"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7b6dfe45a7ec1f03/6987773e35ba6f59adc06334/mideast-saudi-arabia-_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Helen Regan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/helen-regan/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7b6dfe45a7ec1f03/6987773e35ba6f59adc06334/mideast-saudi-arabia-_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Mideast Saudi Arabia Women Driving","caption":"Mideast Saudi Arabia Women Driving","creditText":"Loujain al-Hathloul—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/saudi-arabia/","name":"Saudi Arabia"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3708599/saudi-women-driving-ban/","name":"Two Saudi Women Who Were Detained for Defying a Driving Ban Have Been Freed"}}]}] ```