UN quizzes Saudis on women's rights

Geneva: Saudi Arabia, appearing for the first time before a UN women's rights panel on Thursday, faced tough questions over restrictions on "virtually every aspect of a woman's life" in the kingdom.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women monitors adherence to a 1979 international bill of rights for women.

The country ratified that pact in 2000, with the proviso that Sharia (Islamic law) would prevail if there were any contradiction with its provisions.

Saudi Arabia came under fire during the debate for its system of male guardianship. Heisoo Shin, one of the 23 independent experts on the panel, said that patriarchal rules "governed virtually every aspect of a woman's life".

"Without a man's consent, a woman cannot study or get health service, work, marry, conduct business or even get an ambulance service in an emergency," she said.

Zeid Bin Abdul Mushin Al Hussain, vice-president of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, told the experts: "Human rights in Saudi Arabia are based on Sharia law."

But the recent application of Sharia law in a rape case fanned concerns about the status of women in the Islamic state, where clerics demand the strict seclusion of females.