NEW YORK – Last week, ahead of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s visit to the White House, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), with other international human rights organizations and activists, sent a letter to President Obama. The letter called on the president to take this opportunity to press Saudi Arabia’s king to release several human rights activists currently in prison and provide a safe environment for civil society to operate freely in the country.
According to the letter, “not only should King Salman pardon Waleed Abu al-Khair, Raif Badawi, and [others], but he should also decree a formal Law of Association that fully protects and promotes civic space,” adding that “the Saudi Arabian government’s failure to accommodate peaceful dissent only benefits extremist organizations in the region.”
Read the full letter here.
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies.
Read this release in Arabic language here.
Contact: Jamie Hancock – Human Rights Foundation, (212) 246-8486, jamie@humanrightsfdn.wpengine.com