Responds to Women’s Day Greetings: – Provocative – VG

On Monday afternoon, Sorting representative Emily Anger Mehl (SP) found flowers, candy and greeting cards in her mailbox in Sorting.

The gift was greeted by the Norwegian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia on the eve of Women’s Day on March 8.

SP politicians Shield Cem-Jacobson and Jenny Klinge of the Center received similar congratulations.

– At first I thought how paradoxical this was. Mehl says this comes with a bad repercussion if it is known that Saudi Arabia is completely violating the rights of women.

Greet the female ambassador

Amal Yahya Almolimi, Norwegian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia – the country’s second female ambassador.

“I would like to send a congratulatory message to the ambassador again and ask him to show that Saudi Arabia takes women’s rights seriously by stopping prosecuting those who fight for women’s rights,” Mehl said.

Reports say she has become a female activist in Saudi Arabia He is being tortured and sexually harassed in prison.

Sporting politician Heidi Nordbi Lunde (H) responded with disbelief when she heard that Saudi officials had sent greetings to female Sporting politicians on March 8.

– Day when Saudi Arabia takes gender equality and women’s rights seriously I Send flowers The On Women’s Day, an SMS was sent to VG.

– OK – They released Loujain al-Hadloul last month after serving three years in prison, so it’s a form of women’s rights movement.

Al-Hadloul is one of the most important female activists in Saudi Arabia, who He was jailed from 2018 until February this year. Among other things, he is accused of driving a car across the border into Saudi Arabia in 2014, three years ago. Decided to allow women to drive in the country.

Al-Hadloul is subject to many more restrictions.

– If they are serious, they can be given full freedom to leave the country, and then we can start talking, Lunde writes.

“Don’t be fooled by flowers”

Along with SV representatives Karin Anderson and Carrie Elizabeth Kaski, Heidi Nordbi nominated Lunde al-Hadloul for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. And in 2021, Anderson nominated al-Hadloul for the Peace Prize.

Anderson says he also did not receive any greetings from the embassy on Monday.

– But I have also nominated female human rights activists in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Peace Prize, and she sent an SMS to VG.

He points out that he has protested several times outside the embassy.

– They will understand that I will not let them fool me with flowers. There is no credibility in the so-called liberalization of Saudi Arabia. You can go to a football match, but harassment under a glossy film is hard, he writes.

Prompted a general apology

– This is an attempt to build goodwill in a somewhat difficult view, from a Saudi point of view, but it seems utterly absurd and very provocative, says Ina Tin VG.

He is the political advisor to Amnesty International and has written a book about Saudi Arabia.

“Saudi authorities need to understand that they have no credibility in the issue of women’s rights before they can grant freedom of expression to women, abolish the protectionist system, and monitor and prosecute speakers,” she said.

Tin says Amnesty has been trying to get a meeting with the embassy for years.

– We had our first and last meeting at the Saudi Embassy in 2013, after which we were not welcomed there. We have called for a meeting since the new ambassador arrived in December, but he has so far been completely silent on the public apology, he says.

– Sorting Politicians Respond to the Ambassador and hope that I would like to thank Flowers for inviting me to meet them and us at the General Amnesty in Storting to discuss the situation of women rights and imprisoned female human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia.