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WORLD NEWS Thursday 1 OcTOber 2020
Trump is urged to intervene in trial of U.S.-Saudi national

By AYA BATRAWY and ERIC Consulate in Istanbul in late
TUCKER 2018. Since Khashoggi's
Associated Press murder, the imprisonment
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- of the women activists and
ates (AP) — The trial of others in Saudi Arabia has
a U.S. citizen who is also drawn widespread con-
a Saudi national began demnation from members
Wednesday in Saudi Ara- of Congress, the British Par-
bia in a counter-terrorism liament and others.
court that has been used Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a
to imprison rights activists member of the Near East,
in a case that could spark South Asia, Central Asia,
further tensions in already and Counterterrorism sub-
uneasy U.S.-Saudi relations. committee, and Demo-
The case of Salah al-Haid- cratic Congressman Ger-
ar, who has been detained ald E. Connolly, who sits on
since April 2019 in Saudi the Committee on Foreign
Arabia, has caught the at- Affairs and its subcommit-
tention of members of Con- tee on the Middle East,
gress who are urging Presi- asked Trump in a letter
dent Donald Trump to per- Wednesday to raise al-Hai-
sonally seek his immediate dar's case "with the highest
and unconditional release. levels" of the Saudi govern-
Al-Haidar, who has a family ment. They said they be-
home in Vienna, Virginia, is In this March 29, 2014 file photo, Aziza al-Yousef drives a car on a highway during a women's rights lieve his arrest is a targeted
facing between eight and campaign in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. effort against the family
33 years in prison for al- Associated Press because of their advocacy
leged Twitter posts criticiz- for social reforms.
ing the Saudi government, of the case, who spoke Al-Haidar's mother is promi- they were abused during in- "We urge you to secure the
according to people with anonymously in order to nent Saudi women's rights terrogations, including be- unconditional and immedi-
knowledge of his case, in- discuss the matter without activist Aziza al-Yousef, ing waterboarded, beaten ate release of Mr. al-Haidar
cluding a U.S. official famil- repercussion, said al-Hai- who is among nearly a with canes and electrocut- and facilitate his and Ms. al-
iar with the case who insist- dar's lawyer and a sibling dozen women on trial for ed. She has been barred Yousef's return to the United
ed on anonymity to discuss were present for the open- charges related to their ac- from leaving the kingdom, States. We also urge you to
it with The Associated Press. ing court session. Judges tivism, such as pushing for despite holding permanent do the same for all other
Although the trial began heard his defense as well the right to drive before the residency in the U.S. U.S. citizens being held in
Wednesday, people with as that of other defendants ban on women was lifted The crackdown on per- Saudi prisons over allega-
knowledge of the case said arrested on similar charges in mid-2018. Al-Yousef, a ceived critics of the govern- tions relating to peaceful
they were originally told it around the same time. The grandmother and former ment has intensified under dissent," the Virginia repre-
would begin Thursday. It next court date was set university professor, was Crown Prince Mohammed sentatives said in the letter,
was not immediately clear two months from now. U.S. released from prison the bin Salman, who continues which was also addressed
how the misunderstanding embassy officials were not week before her son's ar- to face criticism over the to the Saudi Ambassador
took place present inside the court- rest. She and others have killing of Saudi critic Jamal to the U.S., Princess Reema
People with knowledge room, the people said. told a Saudi criminal court Khashoggi inside the Saudi bint Bandar.q

Bosnia: Hundreds of migrants evicted from U.N.-run camps

By SABINA NIKSIC Krajina region sent police to ing the brunt of Europe's lin-
Associated Press evict several hundred peo- gering migration issues, ac-
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Her- ple from the Bira camp in cusing other parts of their
zegovina (AP) — Bosnian the town of Bihac. Groups impoverished country of
authorities have started of mostly young men were failing to help out.
emptying U.N.-run migrant bused to a remote camp IOM runs seven official mi-
camps in town centers, that was already full to its grant camps in the coun-
moving hundreds of peo- 1,000 capacity. try, including five in Kra-
ple to a crowded, out-of- Peter Van der Auweraert of jina, that now house nearly
the-way facility that's not the United Nations migra- 7,000 people.
equipped for winter condi- tion agency, IOM, told the The camps set up in town
tions — or just leaving them Associated Press that the centers in Krajina, including
to fend for themselves in crowded tent camp, set Bira, which local authorities
the woods. up in April, might soon be have for long been bent
There are some 10,000 tran- forced to close. "The camp on shutting down, account
sient migrants and refugees is only for summer weather for over a half of the overall In this Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020 file photo, migrants sit in an
stuck in the small Balkan conditions," he said. reception capacities avail- abandoned factory outside Velika Kladusa, Bosnia.
country, who already face In the next few days, Kraji- able to migrants in Bosnia. Associated Press
a chronic lack of accom- na authorities plan to emp- Even prior to the latest Over the past two weeks, up by homeless migrants
modation: At least one in ty a second camp of its 700 crackdown, an estimated remote woods, aban- who had been pushed out
four live outside organized residents. It's unclear where 2,500 migrants were sleep- doned run-down buildings by local authorities from
facilities. they will be sent. ing outdoors in squalid, in- and roadsides on the edge town centers and left in
On Wednesday, local au- Local authorities have for sanitary conditions in Kra- of Krajina cities begun filling desolate areas to fend for
thorities in the northwestern long complained of bear- jina. with makeshift camps set themselves. q