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Dublin hosts first Saudi opposition conference

September 29, 2017 at 10:00 am

Human rights campaigners protest against arms sale to Saudi Arabia [Campaign Against Arms Trade/Flickr]

Saudi opposition forces are holding their first conference abroad today in Dublin, Ireland in an unprecedented attempt to form an organised opposition calling for reform, according to the conference organisers.

The conference, which coincides with the large-scale campaign of arrests in Saudi Arabia over the past few days, is expected to launch Citizens without Restrictions, a Saudi human rights group. The formation of this group is in response to the campaign of arrests and policies that restrict the freedoms of citizens in Saudi Arabia.

The conference will also witness the launch of the Mu’aridika Movement, which aims to enrich internet content informing people about political activists and prisoners of conscience in Saudi Arabia. In contrast, the Saudi Embassy is running a $1 million campaign to polish its image in the US and implicate Qatar as a sponsor of terrorism.

Figures participating in the conference include Dr Madawi Al-Rasheed, human rights activist Yahya Assiri, and several Irish MPs defending human rights and freedoms.

Read more: Saudi coalition blocks aid to Yemen