HRW: Saudi Arabia Should Clarify Status of Ex-Crown Prince

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Saudi authorities should immediately clarify whether they have imposed movement restrictions on former crown prince Mohammad bin Nayef, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubair.

 

A June 28, 2017 New York Times report quotes former and current US officials saying that following King Salman’s elevation of his son, Mohammad bin Salman, to crown prince on June 21, authorities subjected Mohammad bin Nayef to house arrest and banned him from travel abroad.

 

“Reports that Mohammad Bin Nayef is under a travel ban and home detention without due process are bitterly ironic given his role in imposing similar arbitrary restrictions on thousands of Saudis,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The Saudi government needs to call a halt to officials’ arbitrary abuses of power.”

 

The Foreign Affairs Ministry should clarify whether authorities have restricted Prince Mohammad’s freedom of movement inside Saudi Arabia, and whether he is under a travel ban, and if so, clarify the legal basis for the restrictions, Human Rights Watch said.

 

To read the full report, click here.