Saudi women allowed to keep veil in court

Saudi women will no longer need to take their face veil off or bring a male relative to identify them in court when a new rule requiring them to stamp is enforced in the conservative Gulf Kingdom next month, a newspaper said on Tuesday.

Women are now required to either take their face veil off or bring a male family member or another relative to identify them in court.

The present rule will be replaced by a stamp system in early May when the ministry of interior finishes linking its computerized stamp system to the ministry of justice, the Arabic language daily Al Watan said, quoting justice ministry sources.

“Women involved in court cases or are summoned to testify will no longer need to unveil their faces or bring a relative to identify them under a new stamp system to be introduced by the justice ministry next month,” the paper said.

It quoted an official at the ministry as saying judges who do not comply with the new regulations would be punished.

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