The police in Taif city of Mecca province of Saudi Arabia on Friday arrested a woman for hugging a male singer on stage during a concert. Women in Saudi Arabia are prohibited by law from mixing in public with unrelated men.
Majid al-Mohandis was performing at a festival in Taif when the woman ran onto the stage and hugged him. She held on to the singer even as security personnel attempted to pull her off, a video of the incident posted online showed.
A public prosecutor will now consider pursuing harassment charges against the woman under the country’s anti-harassment law, BBC reported citing Saudi newspaper Okaz. “The harasser will face two years in prison and a fine of up to 1,00,000 riyals,” lawyer Abdul Karim al-Qadi told Okaz.
The woman was placed under the custody of a girls’ welfare institution in Taif, Arab News reported.
Mohandis has not commented on the incident, BBC reported. The Iraqi-born singer, who also holds Saudi citizenship, continued to perform after the incident.
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