Saudi police have detained a young woman for violating modesty rules after she removed her abaya, the loose-fitting, full-length robes women are required to wear, on a main street in the capital Riyadh, local media reported on Monday.
The conservative Muslim country enforces a strict dress code for women in public, bans them from driving and prohibits the mixing of sexes.
The Arabic-language al-Sharq newspaper reported that the woman was detained after a complaint was filed by the religious police.
"Police officers have detained a girl who had removed her abaya on al-Tahliya street, implementing a challenge she announced on social media several days ago," the newspaper quoted Colonel Fawaz al-Maiman, a Riyadh police spokesman, as saying.
The sabq.org news website said the woman had posted on Twitter that she would go out in public without her abaya.
Both sabq.org and another news website, alweeam.com.sa, carried a picture of the woman wearing a black jacket over an ankle-length orange and pink dress. Sabq.org concealed the exposed parts of her body.
However, Twitter users have identified her as student Malak Al Shehri.
#Saudi Tweeps reporting that Malak Al Shehri, a student who posted a pic of herself going out w/out headscarf and abaya, has been arrested pic.twitter.com/mqy2e7TRGf
— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) December 12, 2016
The post had drawn an angry reaction from some Saudis, with some making death threats.
"She has been arrested and we demand utmost punishment, for the state has rules that she did not respect," one Twitter user said.
Others are posting in solidarity with the woman, with one user calling for a movement to burn the abaya.
I invite all Saudi women to burn their Abaya as a sign of objection about Malak Alshehre's arrest #BurnYourAbaya
— Moudhi (@Moudhi90) December 12, 2016
Its about time to protest against this discriminative abaya prison against women #shout_for_freedom https://t.co/QbyYvPw1gp
— فرح العقاد • (@FarahAqqad) November 29, 2016
wih Reuters