Saudis reject rights violation charges

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz inaugurated the first ever human rights moot in Riyadh late on Monday, highlighting Saudi Arabia's commitment to the Sharia and the humanitarian principles laid down by Islam 1,400 years ago.

Speaking at the session of the conference at the elegant King Fahd Cultural Centre in Riyadh, the minister rejected accusations from abroad that the Kingdom violated human rights.

"These are baseless accusations," he emphasised. Such groups, he said, should look to their own human rights record before pointing an accusing finger at others.

He also lamented that the occupation of the Palestinian territory under the eyes of the world in the face of all UN resolutions was one of the most glaring examples of human rights violations in the current times.

On the sidelines of the ongoing conference, to conclude today, some suggestions were made that the formation of a human rights body may be announced during the conference.

Commenting on the issue, Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al Swailem, president of the Red Crescent Society and the supervisor of the conference, said, "I have no idea if its formation will be announced during this conference."

But he emphasised that the participants are welcome to raise questions on the migrant workers rights in the Kingdom, expressing hopes that these issues would be answered by government officials attending the conference.

He also denied that the conference was organised because of the pressure from the outside world. "Of course, we are under pressure from (the United States) but we do not hold this (conference) because of such," he clarified.

Human rights in peace and war were the main topic of discussion at the first paper session yesterday morning. An exhibition on the sidelines of the conference is highlighting major human right treaties and conventions and the incidence of human rights violations despite the conventions.

Prominent academicians and experts from the Kingdom and other countries are participating and presenting papers on various issues of human rights in the perspective of the Islamic and international law.

Some of the key personalities attending the conference include Gilbert Guillaume, president of the International Court of Justice, Judge Phillipe Kirsch, president of the International Criminal Court, Rudd Lubbers, UN Commissioner for Refugees, Esmat Abdel Meguid, the former Arab League Secretary General, Professor Mohammad Sheikh Tintawi, Sheikh of Al Azhar and Ansaw bin Hassan Al Shaqfa of Islamic Religious Organisation in Hungary.