HRW said Ahmadiyya activists told it they have had no contact with the two men since their arrest, and do not know their whereabouts or condition.
Source/Credit: Gulf News
By AFP | May 15, 2014
The two were jailed in May 2012, three months after joining the Ahmadiyya
Dubai: Human Rights Watch on Thursday urged Saudi Arabia to free two citizens held without trial for two years after converting to an offshoot of Islam banned in the kingdom.
Sultan Al Anzi, aged 33, and Saud Al Anzi, 35, were arrested and jailed in May 2012, three months after joining the Ahmadiyya group and refusing to abandon their belief, New York-based HRW said.
The group said it urged Saudi King Abdullah back in August 2012 to release the pair, but never received a response.
“Saudi Arabia needs to stop policing people’s personal beliefs,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW’s Middle East director.
Under Saudi Arabia’s legal system, the penalty for apostasy is death.
HRW said Ahmadiyya activists told it they have had no contact with the two men since their arrest, and do not know their whereabouts or condition.
According to information on the interior ministry’s online prisoner database, both men are in detention but have not been formally charged.
The Ahmadiyya community was founded in British India in the 19th century.
Its adherents follow the teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, an Indian Muslim.
Read original post here: Riyadh urged to free Ahmadiyyas held for apostasy
This content-post is archived for backup and to keep archived records of any news Islam Ahmadiyya. The views expressed by the author and source of this news archive do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of Ahmadiyya Times.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments. Any comments irrelevant to the post's subject matter, containing abuses, and/or vulgar language will not be approved.