UN urges Saudi gov’t to free rights activists unconditionally

SANAA, July 31 (YPA) – The United Nations Human Rights Office on Tuesday called on the Saudi government to unconditionally release all arrested human rights activists.

Spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office, Ravina Shamdasani, said that 15 government critics have been arrested since May 15.

“The Information indicates that eight of them were released temporarily until the completion of the procedural review of their cases,” the spokeswoman said in a press confirment in Geneva.

The arrested whereabouts were sometimes unknown, and there was a lack of transparency in the proceedings, she added.

The UN office voiced its concern about the continued detention and what appeared to be an arbitrary detention of Saudi human rights activists and defenders, including women’s rights activists.

bam