Canada has blasted Saudi Arabia for preparing the beheading of an imprisoned female activist

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Human Rights advocates claim Israa al-Ghomgham, along with five other activists, are being tried by the country’s terrorism tribunal on charges “solely related to their peaceful activism”. Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland inflamed tensions with a single tweet last month, in which she expressed concern surrounding the imprisonment of activists in Saudi Arabia. The dispute escalated and Saudi Arabia cancelled all flights to Canada on the state airline, recalled students studying in the North American nation, cut investment and issued threats. Following the news of the planned beheading of Israa al-Ghomgham, a Foreign Affairs Department spokesman renewed Canada’s concerns in a statement.

They said: “As Minister Freeland has previously stated, Canada is extremely concerned by the arrests of women’s rights activists. "These concerns have been raised with the Saudi government. “Canada will always stand up for the protection of human rights, including women’s rights and freedom of expression around the world." Ms Ghomgham’s trial started earlier this month, almost three years after her arrest in late 2015.

Chrystia Freeland inflamed tensions with a single tweet last month

The Shiite female activist was part of a political movement which continued until 2014. The European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights commented on Ms Ghomgham’s activism, saying: “She called for fundamental and basic civil and political rights, such as peaceful assembly and expression, for the release of prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders, and expressed her peaceful opinions on social media platforms.” State prosecutors are seeking to sentence Ms Ghomgham with the death penalty, and if delivered, it will mark the first time a female activist is executed in Saudi Arabia for their political activities. According to the Human Rights Watch, Saudi authorities have also been holding five other activists, who are facing the death penalty, in pre-trial detention without legal representation for over two years.

Mrs Freeland wrote on Twitter Canada strongly calls for the release of both Raif and Samar Badawi