UN Calls on Saudi Arabia to Release Political Detainees

YemenExtra

SH.A.

The United Nations Office for Human Rights called on Saudi Arabia to “release all political detainees, as well as women who have been arrested previously for their campaign for better rights for women.”

The UN Office for Human Rights expressed concern about the continued detention of Saudi activists and human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia, including women’s rights activists.

Fifteen, government critics, have been arrested since May 15, said Raffina Shamdassani, a spokeswoman for the office, adding that their whereabouts are sometimes unknown and there is a lack of transparency in the proceedings.

At a press conference for United Nations agencies in Geneva, the information indicated that eight of them had been temporarily released until the procedural review of their cases was completed.