Dozens of human rights activists participated on Thursday in a vigil in front of the European Council headquarters in the Belgian capital, Brussels, against the planned visit of Charles Michel, President of the European Council, to Saudi Arabia at the end of June.
At the invitation of the International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD), the participants raised pictures of prisoners of conscience and dissidents in Saudi prisons, and cartoons criticising the kingdom’s human rights record and the violations committed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The participants in the vigil chanted slogans demanding a more assertive European position against human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, and more pressure on Riyadh to release prisoners of conscience and allow public freedom in the Kingdom.
IFRD sent a letter to Charles Michel asking him to cancel his scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia.
