In its latest report and statement, Human Rights Watch accused Saudi Arabia of cracking down on human rights activists, critics and opponents of the government.
The Saudi Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement that Saudi officials continued to violate the rights of critics, dissidents and human rights activists despite the release of some prominent opponents of the Al Saud regime earlier this year.
A statement from Human Rights Watch also criticized Saudi officials for imposing long-term prison sentences on three Saudi nationals in March and April for opposing the government and continuing the crackdown on the country.
The deputy Middle East director of Human Rights Watch stressed that the release of a number of prominent Saudi dissidents by the Saudi government, despite being sentenced to 20 years in prison for peacefully criticizing the Saudi regime, should not be described as a reduction in repression.
“The Saudi government has most likely released these dissidents in order to reduce international pressure and to take a stand by international human rights organizations,” said Michael Baige.
He stressed that as long as Saudi Arabia does not change its policy of repressing dissidents and critics and torturing them, it will not be able to improve its image in the world and in human rights organizations.
Late last March, Saudi human rights activists imprisoned by the Saudi government went on a hunger strike.
“Arabi 21” news website reported on March 10, 2010, quoting the wife of one of the prisoners, that these people are imprisoned in Al-Haier prison in Riyadh and have been on a hunger strike for the past two days.
Maha al-Qahtani, the wife of Mohammed al-Qahtani, one of the founders of the Hussam (Political and Civil Rights) movement, who was imprisoned years ago, said her husband and about 30 other prisoners had gone on a hunger strike.
She added that in addition to her husband, Fouzan al-Harbi and Issa al-Nakhifi, two other human rights prisoners, also went on hunger strike.
This is not the first time al-Qahtani has gone on a hunger strike, and he has already gone on a hunger strike to protest the incarceration of criminal prisoners.
“Activists who were released are not allowed to leave the country with their relatives,” AFP wrote in a report at the same time, referring to the release of Saudi activist Lejin al-Hazloul by Saudi officials.
The news agency added: According to the report, the Saudi government appears to have violated Saudi law by arbitrarily imposing a travel ban.