German politicians, rights groups call for supporting Canada

International human rights groups and German parliamentarians have called on the European Union and the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel to “publically and unequivocally” support Canada in its dispute with Saudi Arabia, Germany’s Deutsche Welle newspaper reported.

A spokesman for the International Society for Human Rights, Martin Lessenthin, said: “We are witnesses to what a democratic state like Canada is being subjected to in terms of condemnation by Saudi Arabia,” adding that democratic states should not remain silent.

“Saudi Arabia; the military ally of the West, does not behave differently from Iran in many ways,” he said, accusing the two countries of not being committed to freedom and democracy and of supporting extremist groups.

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Saudi-Canadian relations deteriorated after Canadian Foreign Minister, Chrystia Freeland, publicly criticised the arrest of human rights activists in Saudi Arabia.

In response, Saudi Arabia expelled the Canadian ambassador and withdrawing its envoy from Canada.