Cairo: Saudi security authorities said they have arrested a man wearing women’s attire in Riyadh.
The kingdom’s General Directorate of Public Security said in a brief statement that the man was arrested by police patrols in Riyadh after he appeared in a video clip “disguised” in a women’s dress on public transport. “Procedural measures have been taken,” authorities said without further details.
The statement came after a video went viral on social media showing a young man clad in women’s outfits apparently sitting in a train.
People appearing in public dressed in a way similar to the other sex could face up to three years in prison under the penal code in Saudi Arabia.
Clothes that imply imitating women is criminalised in the kingdom.
In 2019, Saudi authorities started enforcing a law, officially dubbed the Public Decorum Code, incorporating penalties of fines and imprisonment for public misconduct deemed offensive or dangerous to people.
The regulations ban wearing “inappropriate” attire, acting immorally in public and playing loud music in residential areas. Offenders face fines ranging from 50 to 3,000 riyals, depending on the type of the infringement.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has seen massive changes as part of a dramatic liberalisation drive. However, men and women are required to dress modestly, refrain from displaying affection in public, and avoid using profane language or gestures.
“Inappropriate” clothes in public include underpants, night garments or other clothes that outrage public morality, carry racial emblems or promote depravity.
