2 human rights activists arrested in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian authorities have arrested two human rights activists without presenting any charges, a rights group said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) said Ahmed al-Mshikhs and Essam Koshak were arrested on January 5 and 8, respectively, Efe news reported.

"These arrests are solely due to the two men exercising their legitimate and peaceful right to freedom of opinion and freedom of expression and conducting their work in the field of human rights," read the statement.

The GCHR said al-Mshikhs, founder of the al-Adalah Centre for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, is currently being held in prison.

Koshak, said the organisation, had had his detention extended and had not yet been released on bail.

The human rights group believed the arrests were related to the activists' online activities.

"GCHR urges the Saudi Arabian authorities to release them immediately," read the statement.

The organisation also demanded that the two men be allowed to exercise their right to freedom of speech and be no longer harassed by authorities.

--IANS

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