Call for Riyadh to set free activists
A UN human rights watchdog has urged Saudi authorities to free more than a dozen rights activists detained in the kingdom, alleging that some had been tortured or mistreated during interrogation.
The panel of 10 independent experts also sought information on whether an impartial investigation is under way into allegations that “high-level officials were involved in the torture and extrajudicial execution” of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Khashoggi, critic of the nation’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Riyadh has denied that the prince ordered the killing.
The UN Committee Against Torture, in a letter posted online, cited “serious allegations” that activists including Loujain al-Hathloul, Eman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef and women’s rights campaigner Samar Badawi have been detained without charge in Dhahban prison near Jeddah since May 2018. It said they had suffered “torture, sexual harassment and other forms of illtreatment during interrogation”.
The panel called for their release and that of six other activists, including blogger Raif Badawi, who has been publicly flogged for expressing dissenting opinions online and is serving a 10-year sentence handed down in 2014 for breaking technology laws and insulting Islam.
Given the serious nature of these cases involving “reprisals against and harassment, intimidation and arrest of human rights defenders and journalists”, the panel asked the kingdom to provide information within 90 days.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities. Riyadh has previously denied using torture and said arrests are made on the basis of suspicious contacts with foreign entities and offering financial support to “enemies overseas”.
Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide of the crown prince, was fired for his role in the killing of Khashoggi. He personally oversaw the torture of at least one detained female activist earlier in 2018, two sources with knowledge of the matter said last week.