Saudis expel Canadian envoy, freeze new trade
Saudi Arabia has expelled the Canadian ambassador and recalled its own ambassador after the Canadian government issued a statement of concern over the detainment of civil society and women’s rights activists.
The Middle Eastern nation has also frozen all new trade and investment transactions with Canada, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The move comes two days after Global Affairs Canada issued a statement criticizing the arrest of Samar Badawi, the sister of jailed dissident blogger Raif Badawi. Samar Badawi is the sister-in-law of Raif Badawi’s wife Ensaf Haidar, who lives in Canada and recently became a Canadian citizen.
“Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia, including Samar Badawi,” said the statement, published by Global Affairs Canada.
“We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful human rights activists.”
Samar Badawi, a leading women’s rights activist, was detained by Saudi police last week, Amnesty International said.
Saudi Arabia declared the ambassador of Canada, Dennis Horak, persona nongrata, giving him 24 hours to leave.
Riyadh said Canada’s statement about “civil society activists” was negative and unfair to the truth.