Saudi police stop men and women for violating ‘public taste’

Saudi police said it has stopped 222 men and women for violating regulations on the accepted dress code in public places, Saudi media reported.

This took place during the month of January, and the punitive measures stipulated for such cases were taken, Al Akhbariya news channel reported, citing police spokesman Shakir bin Sulayman Al-Towigry.

Those stopped include 126 men and 96 women who clothes that were inappropriate for public places, Towigry added.

Last December, Saudi police stopped and fined 60 men and women, citing the same reason.

Since Mohammad bin Salman (aka MBS) rose to power as Crown Prince and de facto ruler of the long-conservative kingdom in 2017, he has taken a number of measures that were described by many observers as reformist in nature, such as lifting the ban on women driving cars and allowing concerts to be held and movies screened for the first time in decades.

Others cast doubt on the genuineness of such measures, saying that MBS’s policies appear to be reformist on the face of it but deep under the surface the authorities continue to crack down on dissent. Several women activists were arrested and detained, and they are still behind bars, over their activism for women’s rights.

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