Manal al-Sharif, the Saudi mother arrested for uploading a video of her driving on YouTube, faces another 10 days in jail while investigations are completed. The 32 year old mother was arrested for breaking the social custom which says women should not drive.
Deputy interior minister, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, said: "Women driving cars in Saudi Arabia has already been decided on in 1411 (1991 in the Christian calendar) and we decided to not allow women driving,"
He added: "Our mission is to implement the system, but whether this action is right or wrong is not for us to say."
However senior members of the ruling elite have apparently said it is not against the law for women to drive, and that it is merely a matter of social custom.
Saudi ruler King Abdullah is facing pressure from around 1,500 Saudis who have signed a petition calling for Sharif's immediate release. The petition also calls for clarification on the existing law.
Human rights campaigners say that Saudi women are planning a mass-drive protest in support of Manal al-Sharif, an executive at the Saudi state oil giant Aramco.
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