Saudi Arabia has accused Canada of “interference” in the kingdom's internal affairs, expelling the country's ambassador and freezing all trade between the two countries.
In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said Canada's decision last week calling for the release of detained civilians and women's rights activists was a violation of Saudi sovereignty.
Among those arrested and whose release Canada has requested is Samar Badawi, a Saudi human rights activist who is also an American citizen.
Canada said it was still awaiting clarification on the Saudi statement, but stressed that Canada would “always uphold the protection of human rights, particularly women's rights, and freedom of expression in the world,” declared the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Marie-Pier Baril. .
“Our government will never hesitate to promote these values and believes that dialogue (on this subject) is essential for international diplomacy,” he added.
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Prominent Saudi women's rights activist Manal al-Sharif thanked Canada for “speaking out” and wondered if other Western countries would do the same.
Who are the Saudis detained?
Last Tuesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that since May 15, at least 15 human rights defenders and women's rights activists who criticize the Saudi government have been arbitrarily arrested or detained.
Eight of them have reportedly been released pending a judicial “procedural review”, but the whereabouts of the remaining seven are unknown.
Among those believed to remain detained is Hatoon al Fassi, a prominent figure who has spoken out on women's participation in daily civilian life.
Like human rights defender Khaled al-Omair; women's rights activists Loujain al-Hathloul, Eman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef, Nouf Abdulaziz and Mayaa al-Zahrani; activist Abdulaziz Meshaal and lawyer Ibrahim al-Modaimeegh, 80, who is al-Hathoul's legal advisor.
Some of those arrested have been charged with serious crimes, such as “having suspicious contact with foreigners”, and face prison sentences of up to 20 years.
Human rights groups reported that Saudi human rights activist Samar Badawi was also arrested last week, along with her compatriot Nassima al-Sadah.
Samar Badawi is known for his various activities against the male guardianship system in Saudi Arabia.
He is the brother of Raif Badawi, the imprisoned blogger. Raif Badawi is the husband of activist Ensaf Haidar, who recently became a Canadian citizen.
In 2012, Samar Badawi received the US International Women Courage Award.
What does Canada say?
Last Thursday, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland wrote on Twitter that she was “deeply concerned” to learn of the detention of Samar Badawi.
“Canada stands with the Badawi family during this difficult time, and we continue to call for the release of Raif and Samar Badawi.
The next day, the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for the “immediate release” of the two Badawi brothers.
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How will Saudi Arabia react?
The statement from the Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed its “surprise at these unfounded negative comments, which are not based on truthful or accurate information.”
They argued that the activists were being lawfully detained and that Canada's statement demonstrated “gross interference in domestic affairs” and a “blatant and unacceptable disregard for the law and the kingdom's judicial process.”
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Saudi Arabia also recalled its ambassador to Canada for “consultations” and declared the Canadian ambassador persona non grata, giving him 24 hours to leave.
Saudi Arabia said it would also “postpone all new trade and investment transactions with Canada, and does not rule out taking further action.” Trade between the two countries, based on 2016 records, stood at US$3 billion (approximately Rs. 45 trillion).
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