Women in Saudi Arabia “At last we are being asked” [Archives:2008/1134/Reportage]

Fatima Azzaz and Mansour al-Timani were divorced one year ago, albeit against their will. Fatima's half-brothers sued to have the marriage dissolved because Mansour was beneath them in the clan hierarchy. A Saudi court agreed, separated the couple, and even went as far as to imprison Fatima and her son. For UN Special Rapporteur Yakin Erturk, this case is symptomatic of the Islamic kingdom.

\”The sentence shows the contradictions and insecurities that are inherent in the Saudi legal system; there is no code of law for the regulation of private matters.\”” Erturk recently paid a visit to Saudi Arabia where she spoke with politicians and academics on behalf of the UN Human Rights Council about discrimination against women and met victims like Fatima Azzaz. \””Mansour and Fatima are both in a dreadful state of mind