Amnesty demands Saudi probe

The London-based pressure group, Amnesty International, has called on the United Nations to break what it describes as a "wall of silence" surrounding alleged human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia.

It issued the statement as the UN Commission on Human Rights prepared to begin its annual meeting in Geneva on Monday.

"The commission, the UN's main human rights watchdog, simply cannot turn its back on Saudi Arabia," said Amnesty spokeswoman, Stephanie Farrior.

It was time the international body put aside political and economic considerations, and publicly scrutinised what she described as Saudi Arabia's appalling human rights record, she added.

Torture claims

Amnesty and the US-based Human Rights Watch are also urging the 53-member commission to condemn what they say are grave violations, including executions, in China and Chechnya.