Saudi Bus Driver Sentenced to Jail, Flogging After Female Passengers Smoke, Sing, Dance on Board

JAFFA, Israel – A Saudi bus driver was reportedly sentenced to imprisonment and flogging for allowing women to smoke, sing and dance in his vehicle, the Saidi-based SABQ news site reported on Wednesday. 

The male driver, who drove female students from Taif University, will be flogged 300 times and spend three years in jail.

SABQ did not say whether the students were punished too, but emphasized that the defendant was previously sentenced to imprisonment and flogging on counts of homosexuality and adultery.

It was also reported that his license was previously revoked by the powerful Council for Imposition of Religious Norms, which he managed to bypass by purchasing a different vehicle.

The site also reported that a group of men and women were arrested near Mecca for possession of bottles that contained Arak, a Levantine alcoholic spirit.