Saudi detainees in Iraq under spotlight

Riyadh: Top officials at Iraq's Ministry of Human Rights and the Saudi National Human Rights Commission (HRC) will meet in Amman this week to discuss the issue of Saudis held in Iraqi prisons.

The meeting, which will be held in the next two to three days, will also take up the file of missing Saudis in Iraq, according to Dr Zuhair Al Harithy, member and official spokesman for the Commission.

Speaking to reporters here, he disclosed that arrangements for the meeting have been underway for a few months.

Complaints

"The initiative for this came first from Turki Al Sudairy, President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. This was after he had received several complaints from Saudi families regarding their family members being either detained or missing in the war-torn country," he said adding a number of families had also sought clarifications about their sons, who had supposedly left for Iraq.

Dr Al Harithy said that the Commission was making relentless efforts to carry out its mission with regard to the file of those Saudi youths who had left for Iraq.

"We are also keen to ensure whether the Saudis remaining in Iraqi prisons are enjoying their legal rights and are being subjected to a fair trial," he said.

Iraqi Minister for Human Rights Wijdan Mikhail Salim will lead the Iraqi delegation attending the talks. Ambassador Omar Al Barsanji, director-general of the Human Rights Department at the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will also be part of the delegation.

The Saudi National Human Rights Commission delegation will be headed by its Vice-President Dr Zaid Al Hussain. Dr Al Harithy said that the Iraqi side will explain in the Amman meeting what the Ministry of Human Rights can do in the case of Saudi detainees.

"The Saudi Commission and the Iraqi Ministry are striving hard to do what they can in protecting the human rights of Saudi detainees in Iraq," he said.

It is noteworthy the Saudi National Human Rights Society, which enjoys government support, is actively engaged in protecting the rights of Saudi citizens within the kingdom and abroad.

A few months ago, the commission launched a website for complaints, which can be submitted via e-mail, as well as offering various online services.