EU seeks answers over wave of activist arrests in Saudi Arabia amid Canada row

EU seeks answers over wave of activist arrests in Saudi Arabia amid Canada row
The European Union has asked Saudi Arabia to provide details on the arrests and charges facing women human rights activists detained in a recent crackdown on dissent in the country.
2 min read
11 August, 2018
Saudi authorities last week detained three high-profile women's rights activists. [Getty]

The European Union has asked Saudi Arabia to provide details on the arrests and charges facing women human rights activists detained in a recent crackdown on dissent in the country.

Saudi authorities last week detained three high-profile women's rights activists, just weeks after more than a dozen women's right campaigners were detained and accused of undermining national security and collaborating with enemies of the state.

Some have since been released.

"The EU has been engaging constructively with the Saudi authorities seeking clarification on the circumstances surrounding the arrests of women human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia, notably with regard to the specific accusations brought against them," said spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

"We have been emphasising the relevance of the role of human rights defenders and civil society groups in the process of reform which the Kingdom is pursuing as well as the importance of respecting the rules of due process for all those arrested," she added.

The detentions triggered a major diplomatic spat with Canada after Ottawa demanded the immediate release of the jailed activists.

Riyadh expelled Canada's ambassador, recalled its own envoy and froze all new trade and investments after Canada rebuked Saudi Arabia for the arrest of a number of human rights activists.

Saudi Arabia also said it will relocate thousands of Saudi students studying in Canada to other countries, while state airline Saudia announced it was suspending flights to Toronto.

Experts have said the Saudi moves illustrates how the oil-rich kingdom is increasingly seeking to use its economic and diplomatic muscle to quell foreign criticism under its young de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

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