Death on Saudi university campus sparks outrage

A report says staff at a university in the Saudi capital Riyadh has barred male paramedics from entering a women’s-only campus to assist a student, who had suffered a heart attack and later died.

The Saudi daily Okaz said administrators at King Saud University impeded efforts by the paramedics to save the student’s life because of rules banning men from being on site. According to the paper, the incident took place on Wednesday and the university staff took an hour before allowing the paramedics in.

Thousands of Saudis have vented anger online over the report on Thursday.

Professors at the university have also demanded an investigation.

“We need management who can make quick decisions without thinking of what the family will say or what culture will say,” said Professor Aziza Youssef.

In 2002, a fire broke out at a girls’ school in Mecca, killing 15 students. Rights groups reported that religious police would not allow the girls to escape because they were not wearing headscarves or abayas.