Ethiopia Condemns Saudi Arabia for Crackdown on Migrant Workers

Local Editor

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom has condemned Saudi Arabia for its brutal crackdown on migrant workers in the kingdom.

Saudi authorities have launched the weeklong visa crackdown on foreign workers, killing three people, including an Ethiopian national.
"This is unacceptable. We call on the Saudi government to investigate this issue seriously. We are also happy to take our citizens, who should be treated with dignity while they are there," Adhanom said on Sunday.

Ethiopia's top diplomat said Addis Ababa has formally complained to Riyadh and is now working to bring its citizens back home. At least two people are killed and dozens more wounded in a round of Saudi crackdown on foreign workers protesting against a new labor law on Saturday.
The clashes erupted in the impoverished Manfuhah neighborhood of the capital, Riyadh on Saturday when police opened fire to disperse protesters.
Reports say nearly 70 people, including 28 Saudis, were injured and hundreds more arrested in the clashes.

Riyadh has announced plans to create jobs for Saudi nationals by reducing the number of foreign workers totaling some nine million people. Hundreds of thousands of workers have already left the kingdom amid tougher conditions for migrants.

Foreign workers cannot change jobs or leave Saudi Arabia without the permission of their sponsors, who are often Saudi companies or individuals who provide workers to businesses for profit. Most of the sponsors take away the passports of the workers for the duration of their contract.

Source: Press TV