Cameron visits despotic Saudi friends

British Prime Minister David Cameron is to call for all-out expansion of ties with Saudi Arabia in a visit on Friday, amid the Saudi regime’s brutal suppression of anti-government protesters.

Saudi Arabian media quoted British embassy in Riyadh as saying Cameron is to hold talks with the Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz during which the PM will also raise international issues of concern.

Cameron’s visit comes just two days after Saudi security forces fired live bullets at anti-government demonstrators in the eastern city of Qatif, which has witnessed brutal crackdown on protesters almost on a daily basis over the past months.

Protesters in the eastern Saudi province have been demanding political reform, freedom of speech and release of political prisoners held without trial for over a year.

The demonstrators have also decried the Saudi regime’s involvement in the bloodshed in Bahrain.

However, Saudi Arabia’s dark human rights record has not affected Cameron’s will to expand ties with the regime.

Saudi human rights campaigners said the regime’s jails are filled with more than 30,000 political prisoners.

According to the Saudi-based Human Rights First Society, most of the inmates have not stood a trial while suffering both physical and mental torture in detention.

The suppression of protests in Saudi Arabia has drawn condemnation from the London-based Amnesty International.

However, London has not bothered to raise the human rights abuses in the kingdom with its Saudi friends while also training Saudi National Guard involved in crushing protests in Bahrain.