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TEHRAN, August 6 - Saudi Arabia froze new trade and investment with Canada after Ottawa urged Riyadh to free arrested civil society activists, in the top oil exporter's latest retort to Western criticism of its human rights record.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - The (Persian) Gulf Arab kingdom also recalled its ambassador and gave the Canadian ambassador 24 hours to leave the country, a Saudi foreign ministry statement said late on Sunday, adding it retained "its rights to take further action."
The announcement carried on the official Saudi Press Agency caught diplomats in Riyadh off guard, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters, noting that both the Saudi and Canadian ambassadors were away on leave when it was made.
"The entire diplomatic community was surprised by the move," the source said.
It was not immediately clear what effect, if any, the move would have on the two countries' annual trade of nearly $4 billion and on a $13 billion defense contract awarded in 2014.
The Saudi statement said its foreign ministry had been told the Canadian foreign ministry and Canadian embassy had urged Saudi Arabia to "immediately release" civil rights activists.
Canadian foreign ministry officials were not available for an immediate comment.
Saudi neighbor and ally Bahrain said hours later that it stood with the kingdom in the political row, without elaborating on whether it would also sever business ties with Canada.
"The Kingdom of Bahrain affirms its full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia...against anyone attempting to undermine its sovereignty," the Bahraini foreign ministry said on Twitter.
Last Wednesday, Human Rights Watch said Saudi Arabia had arrested women's rights activists Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sadah, the latest two to be swept up in a government crackdown on activists, clerics and journalists. More than a dozen women's rights activists have been targeted since May.
On Friday, Canada said it was "gravely concerned" about the arrests of civil society and women's activists in Saudi Arabia, including Badawi, the sister of jailed dissident blogger Raif Badawi.
Source: Reuters
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