Qatar deported Saudi human rights activist Mohammad al-Otaibi to his homeland when he tried to fly with his wife to Norway where he had been granted political asylum, the rights group Amnesty International said on Tuesday. Otaibi, who faces charges in Saudi Arabia for setting up an independent organisation and sending tweets deemed “offensive” to the kingdom, was arrested at Doha airport on May 24 and returned hours later to Saudi Arabia, an Amnesty statement said. A Saudi official did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Otaibi traveled to Qatar in February after Saudi authorities lifted a travel ban against him related to a previous conviction for human rights activity. The Saudi Arabian authorities must release him immediately and unconditionally and put an end to their relentless crackdown on human rights defenders,” said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty’s Middle East research director.

Source: Egypt Independent May 30, 2017 20:37 UTC