Final hours of Saudi Arabia ban on female drivers

The ban on female drivers in Saudi Arabia is in its final hours.

Starting at midnight local time, women will be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia when a controversial ban comes to an end.

Saudi Arabia was the only remaining country in the world where women could not drive and families had to hire private chauffeurs for female relatives.

The change was announced last September and Saudi Arabia issued the first driver’s license to a woman earlier this month.

The lifting of the ban comes amid an intensified crackdown on activists who campaigned for the right to drive.

The human rights lobby Amnesty says at least eight women’s rights activists are being detained and could face in a counter-terrorism court and long prison sentences for their activism.

Amnesty has also called for wider reforms in Saudi Arabia, where women remain subjected to make guardianship laws