Protest In Saudi Arabia, 11 Women Held

A group of women protesters detained by the Saudi Arabian authorities must be released unless they are charged with an internationally recognizable crime, said Amnesty International.

At least 11 women are still believed to be in detention in the central city of Buraida as well as in the capital Riyadh after being held at a protest in Buraida on January 5, 2013.

In all, security forces arrested some 18 women and 10 children who had gathered outside Buraida’s Board of Grievances building to protest at the continued detention of relatives in connection with the Saudi Arabian authorities’ counter-terrorism efforts.

“According to reports and photos from the protest, these women and children merely gathered peacefully and held placards bearing their detained relatives’ names and the length of their detention,” said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Program Director at Amnesty International.

“There is no way the Saudi Arabian authorities can justify detaining people if they have simply peacefully exercised their rights to freedom of expression and assembly.”

Source: Countercurrents.org