Saudi to resume trials of Jordanian, Palestinian political prisoners

Saudi Arabia will resume the trials of more than 60 Palestinian and Jordanian political prisoners who are being held in detention in the country, Anadolu Agency reported, citing the head of the Jordanian Committee on Political Prisoners in Saudi Arabia.

Khidr Mashayekh added that the defendants have been in custody since 2019 on the charge of “receiving financial support for the Palestine cause”.

Saudi authorities on Tuesday summoned a number of Jordanians who had not attended the trial session held in March and notified a number of detainees that their trials will resume in September.

Representatives from the Jordanian Committee on Political Prisoners in Saudi Arabia met recently with officials at the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mashayekh said, adding that there are some signs that the issue is starting to move forward, such as the recent release of one detainee and the notifications of others that they will be deported.

He clarified that while the Saudi authorities recently announced the release of dozens of Jordanians, those released had been held in cases related to drugs and not on political charges.

READ: Saudi dissident sues Twitter for hacking that led to killing, torture of activists