Amnesty International has called on the Saudi authorities to immediately release the 10 Nubian Egyptians who have been detained for 16 months, and to drop all charges against them.
The organisation indicated that the detainees were arrested in connection with their organisation of a rally commemorating the 1973 October War, also known as the Yom Kippur War.
“The Saudi authorities have detained these Egyptian Nubian men for approximately 16 months and are now prosecuting them for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and attempting to organise a community event,” said Lynn Maalouf, deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
“The men have long been residents in Saudi Arabia, and have been holding commemorative events every year without consequences,” Maalouf added.
The Gulf Center for Human Rights had said, in a previous statement, that the case dates back to October 25, 2019, when the Nubian Society in Riyadh decided to hold a symposium on the occasion of the October 6 War.
