Saudi Arabia issues first 10 driver’s license to women

Published June 4, 2018 6:37pm ET



Saudi Arabia on Monday issued its first 10 driver’s licenses to women ahead of lifting its ban on women driving on June 24.

The Saudi Arabian government issued a statement that the 10 women received their licenses at the General Department of Traffic in Riyadh on Monday, according to the Associated Press.

All 10 women took a short driving test before receiving their licenses, but all those who were issued a license had held one in other countries already, including the U.K., Lebanon, and Canada.

Although this is a step forward for the only country in the world to have such a ban, the move comes as four Saudi women’s rights activists who have campaigned for the right to drive are under arrest and possibly facing trial.