RIYADH – Saudi police have arrested a man on public order charges after he was accused of wearing women’s clothes in Snapchat posts.
Police in Qassim, northwest of the capital Riyadh, arrested what they described as a ‘famous Snapchat personality who appeared in video clips dressed like women’.
According to a police spokesman, the unnamed suspect had been detained ‘for producing and distributing material insulting to public order’ after citizens had complained about him dressing ‘inappropriately’, the Saudi Gazette reported.
In April, the government stripped the kingdom’s frequently criticised religious police of the power of arrest but strict moral codes remain in effect.
Members of the Haia force, among whose duties was to monitor people’s dress, can now only offer advice and report suspected violators to regular police for prosecution.
Some in the country see cross-dressing on the same level as homosexuality, which is considered taboo in Saudi Arabia.
Those engaging in same-sex relationships in Saudi Arabia could be stoned to death under Sharia law.
