Envoy : Amnesty report on Kingdom not based on facts

Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom Prince Muhammad bin Nawaf said the latest report of the Amnesty International about Saudi Arabia is based on inaccurate information. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is committed to and respects human rights in line with the Islamic Shariah which is the foundation of the Saudi law," Prince Nawaf said in a statement on Thursday. The prince said the Kingdom has the right to defend against terrorist operations directed against it. "The reality is that the Kingdom continues to be targeted by terrorists looking for finance and attempting to recruit Saudi Arabia’s young citizens for terrorist operations within the Kingdom and internationally," the prince said. The prince added that the Kingdom's anti-terror law has been in circulation for several years and still is a draft which continues to be discussed with the legislation authority and will not be approved before making sure it is in compliance with the Shariah law. “Only people involved in riots, who were endangering safety and lives of other citizens including policemen were arrested, and most were released without charge after being questioned by investigators,” the prince said referring to the recent arrests in the Eastern Province. With regard to the warnings issued by the Ministry of Interior, the prince said they were directed at those who endanger the lives of other citizens and policemen. With regard to 16 men sentenced on Nov. 22 for their role in terror acts, the prince said, "Their trial was public and attended by the their relatives, representatives of the Saudi Human Rights Commission and the local media. The trials lasted 15 months and all 16 had the right to have lawyers to defend them. Ten of the defendants were not held in custody. None of the defendants were blindfolded or handcuffed during the trial, he said.