Tensions rising between Saudi Arabia, Canada over human rights

Saudi Arabia has stepped up its dispute with Canada after abruptly cutting ties with Ottawa over its criticism of Riyadh’s crackdown on dissent, targeting educational exchanges with the North American state.

According to Press TV, the dispute broke out Friday, when the Canadian Embassy in Riyadh tweeted that it was “gravely concerned” over a spike in arrests of human rights campaigners in the Saudi kingdom, including gender rights activist Samar Badawi, and called on “the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful #humanrights activists.”

Irked by the tweet, the Saudi government on Monday ordered the Canadian ambassador to leave within 24 hours and halted trade and investment deals between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia’s national airline also announced that it was suspending flights to Canada, beginning on August 13. 

In yet another escalation in the row, Saudi state media said Monday that the kingdom would suspend government-funded scholarships to Canada and move the Saudi nationals already studying there to other countries.

According to Jassem al-Harbash, Head of the Saudi Education Ministry’s Scholarship Program, more than 7,000 students from Saudi Arabia are enrolled in university programs in Canada.

Reacting to the move, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said “It would be a shame” if Saudi students were “deprived of the opportunity to study” in Canada.

Amid the war of words between Riyadh and Ottawa, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir criticized Canada’s call to free jailed civil society activists and said his country would not tolerate any “interference” in its domestic affairs.

Jubeir tweeted on Monday that Canada’s position was based on “misleading information,” adding that anyone detained was “subject to Saudi laws that guarantee their rights.”

The dramatic escalation drew reactions from other states.

The US refused to explicitly take sides in the dispute involving two of its close allies, but asked Saudi Arabia to provide more details on the detention of activists.

“We continue to encourage the government of Saudi Arabia to respect due process and to publicize information on the status of legal cases,” the official added.

Meanwhile, a number of European Parliament members in a tweet on Monday supported the Canadian government’s stance and denounced the ongoing human rights violations in Saudi Arabia. 

Amnesty International also called on Riyadh to “end its crackdown” rather than “lash out with punitive diplomatic and trade sanctions.”

ME