WUNRN
Khaleej
Times - 12 March, 2008
Saudi Arabia Invites Human Rights Watch to Visit &
to Consider Rights Issues & Reports as Women's Rights, Children's Rights,
Domestic Workers
Saudi
Arabia, which is strengthening human rights and initiating appropriate reforms
and regulations, has invited members of the Human Rights Watch (HRW) on a
week-long visit to the Kingdom.
Zuhair Al Harithy, spokesman for the Saudi Human Rights Commission (HRC), said
that the HRW has been invited to the Kingdom by the Saudi government to discuss
with officials four reports that the body has prepared on the Kingdom's justice
system, domestic workers, women and children.
He said that the HRW team has met representatives of four Saudi ministries at
the Riyadh headquarters of the HRC since Saturday.
The five-member HRW team includes Farida Deif and Nisha Varia, who are from the
HRW's women's rights department and a researcher on children's rights.
Al Harithy said the Saudi government rights body welcomes visits by
international human rights organisations.
“It gives us a chance to discuss with them their reports and clarify mistakes,
and at the same time learn from what is mentioned in them,” he said.
He said that the HRC's role in these meetings is to act as a mediator. He added
that the HRW was now obliged to include the response of Saudi officials in
forthcoming reports.
“People reading the reports will be able to make up their own mind after
knowing both sides of the story,” he said.
Al Harithy further elaborated that ministry officials have been receptive to
dialogue “and were open to constructive criticism.”
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