Saudi woman faces prison for hugging male singer

A young Saudi Arabian woman has been charged in the western city of Taif with breaking the country's anti-harassment laws for jumping on stage and hugging a popular singer as he performed.

Al-Madina newspaper reported on Tuesday the woman, whose name and age weren't given, was arrested earlier this month at a festival when Majid al-Muhandis, an Iraqi-born singer with Saudi citizenship, was performing his solo act.

A video of the incident circulating on social media shows the woman, wearing a face-covering niqab veil, running up to al-Muhandis and embracing him around the neck before being pulled away by security.

The paper reports the woman acknowledges hugging Almohandis but argues she was incited to do so.

She faces a possible two years in prison and 100,000 Riyal ($27,000) fine if convicted.

In May, Saudi Arabia ratified a new harassment act as the kingdom geared up to lift its longstanding ban on women driving. The ban ended on June 24. 

The harassment act is widely seen as a measure to protect women behind the wheel. 

The legislation is part of a campaign by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to modernise the ultra-conservative kingdom's economy and society.

Women are also now allowed to attend sports events and concerts and apply for business licenses. 

But they still require permission from their closest male relative on basic decisions like enrolling in classes, renewing their passport, or undergoing some medical procedures.  

The reforms coincide with a widening crackdown on all forms of opposition, as a string of activists have been jailed in recent weeks.