CAIRO: A group of Saudi activists has urged King Abdullah to set up an independent commission to probe human rights violations by the nation s powerful security agencies.
The group – the Committee of Civil and Political Rights – also called on the monarch to introduce political reforms he promised when he ascended to the throne in 2005.
The group includes lawyers, university professors and writers and is led by university lecturer Abdul-Rahman al-Hamid. It was set up in October, according to its Web site.
In a statement posted Wednesday on its web site, the group blamed the violations on the Ministry of Interior, led by the monarch s half brother, Prince Nayef. It says the violations are tantamount to crimes against humanity. -AP
