'No debate' over Saudi women

UN experts concerned over Saudi women's rights

Saudi Arabia's interior minister has ruled out any debate on the status of women in the kingdom, which has been criticised recently by the UN over its policies towards women.

Such a debate would be useless and produce a hollow exchange of ideas

Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz

When questioned about the possibility of public debate on the subject, the minister, Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, said: "Discussing it is out of the question. Society totally refuses to mention the issue."

According to the Al-Riyadh daily, the interior minister added that "such a debate would be useless and produce a hollow exchange of ideas".

Presenting their first formal report to a UN human rights panel in Geneva this week, a Saudi delegation stressed that "women enjoy the same rights as men in Saudi Arabia."

But the UN rights experts voiced their concerns over discrimination against women in the kingdom, who are banned from driving a car or travelling without the permission of their husband or another male relative.

Islamic law

The Saudi officials countered that such restrictions do not apply to emergency situations, and that the only restrictions on women concerned "social practices involving Islamic law and to which everyone must conform".

The UN monitors also questioned the delegation over allegations of child labour and discrimination against immigrants, who were said not to have the same access to healthcare and education services as nationals.

Several human rights bodies have accused Saudi Arabia of human rights violations, including against illegal immigrants.